PIONEER 

MISSIONARIES 

OF  THE 

CHURCH 


C,C.CREEGAN,D.p. 


iiiiimiiuiuiuliiuuuuuiiB 


<^^  PRINCETON,  N.  J.  '^ 


Purchased   by  the    Hamill   Missionary   Fund. 


BV  3700  .C7  1903 

Creegan,  Charles  Cole,  1850- 

1939. 
Pioneer  missionaries  of  the 

r  h  n  r  r  h 


\ 


M-^^^-^-^-, 


PIONEER 
MISSIONARIES 

of   THE    CHURCH 


By  The  Rev.  Charles  C.  Creegan,  D.D. 

Author     of     ''Great     Missionaries,"     etc. 


n 


AMERICAN     TRACT     SOCIETY 

150     Nassau     Street,    New    York 


Copyright,  1903, 
By  American  Tract  Society. 


TO 

THE   STUDENTS   OF  OUR   COLLEGES   AND    UNIVERSITIES, 

AND    MORE   ESPECIALLY 

TO  THE  STUDENT  VOLUNTEERS, 

THIS  VOLUME  IS 

AFFECTIONATELY    INSCRIBED. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

Preface  by  the  Author vii 

Introductory  Note  by  Rev.  Harlan  P.  Beach, 
M.A.,  Educational  Secretary  Student  Volun- 
teer Movement xi 

I.  Bishop  Reginald  Heber,   Pioneer  Missionary  in 

Southern     India         .         .....         I 

II.  Robert  Morrison,   Pioneer  Missionary  to   China       ii 

III.  John  Eliot,  the  Apostle  to  the  Indians       .        .      22 

IV.  David  Brainerd,  the  Apostle  to  the  North  Amer- 

ican    Indians 34 

V.  Henry  Martyn,  Pioneer  Missionary  to  India  and 

Persia 48 

VI.  James   Calvert,   Pioneer  Missionary  to  the  Fiji 

Islands 64 

VII.  Luther  Halsey  Gulick,  M.D.,  Pioneer  Missionary 

to    Micronesia 76 

VIII.  Guido  Fridolin  Verbeck,  Pioneer  Missionary  to 

Japan 90 

IX.  Alexander  Duff,  Pioneer  Missionan,-  to  India      .     102 
X.  Cvrus    Hamlin.    Missionary    to    Turkey,    and 

Founder  of  Robert  College      .         .         .         .114 
XI.  Daniel  Bliss,  Missionary  to  Syria,  and  Founder 

of  Syrian  Protestant  College  ....     127 
XII.  Peter  Parker,  M.D.,  Pioneer  Medical  Missionary 

in    China 138 

XIII.  John  Scudder.  M.D.,  Pioneer  Medical  Missionary 

in  Ceylon 130 

XIV.  William  Miller.  Pioneer  Missionary,  and  Presi- 

dent of  College  at  Calcutta     .        .       .        .163 


vi  Contents 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XV.  John  Murdoch,  Pioneer  of  Christian  Literature  in 

India 174 

XVI.  James  Gilmour,  Pioneer  Missionary  to  the  Mon- 
gols       184 

XVII.  John  Livingston  Nevius,  Missionary  to  China  .    200 
XVIII.  John    Everett    Clough,    Pioneer    Missionary    to 

India 213 

XIX.  James  Hudson  Taylor,  Founder  of  China  Inland 

Mission 225 

XX.  Crosby  H.  Wheeler,  Missionary  to  Turkey  and 

Founder    of    Euphrates    College      .        .        .     236 
XXI.  Samuel   Rollins  Brown,   Pioneer  Missionary  to 

Japan 247 

XXII.  James  Chalmers,  the  Martyr  of  New  Guinea    .    260 

XXIII.  Colonel  Jerome  D.  Davis,  Pioneer  Missionary  to 

Japan 280 

XXIV.  S.  Wells  Williams,  Pioneer  Missionary  to  China 

and  Diplomat 292 

XXV.  Elias  Riggs,  Missionary  to  Turkey;  Great  Lin- 
guist    and     Translator 301 

XXVI.  Christian  Friedrich  Schwartz,  Pioneer  Mission- 
ary to  India 308 


PREFACE 

The  cordial  reception  which  has  been  given  in 
England,  as  well  as  America,  to  "Great  Mission- 
aries," which  was  issued  several  years  ago,  has  led 
to  the  preparation  of  this  volume.  Since  the  noble 
men  whose  life  story  is  briefly  told  in  these  twenty- 
six  sketches  were  nearly  all  of  them  founders  of 
missions,  if  not  makers  of  empires,  the  title  "Pio- 
neer Missionaries"  seems  the  only  one  which  clearly 
defines  the  scope  of  the  book. 

If  the  writer  had  been  so  inclined,  the  limits  of 
space  would  have  prevented  any  embellishment.  It 
has  not  been  an  easy  task  to  compress  the  main  fea- 
tures of  the  biography  of  a  great  man  "of  whom 
the  world  is  not  worthy"  into  a  single  chapter,  when 
one  longs  for  two  or  three  hundred  pages  to  tell  the 
thrilling  story  of  toil  and  sacrifice  and  triumph. 
Brief  as  are  these  sketches,  it  is  hoped  they  may  be 
found  to  give  the  leading  facts  in  the  career  of  each 
of  these  missionary  heroes,  and  that  not  a  few  of 
those  who  read  the  book,  especially  among  the  stu- 
dents in  our  colleges,  may  be  inspired  "to  follow  in 
their  train." 


viii  Preface 

In  view  of  the  place  which  the  sweet  singer, 
Bishop  Heber,  has  in  all  our  hearts,  not  alone  be- 
cause of  his  exceptional  achievements  on  the  mis- 
sion field,  but  chiefly  because  of  his  great  hymn, 
"From  Greenland's  Icy  Mountains,  from  India's 
Coral  Strand,"  etc.,  the  place  of  honor  has  been 
given  to  him.  The  second  place  of  honor,  the  clos- 
ing chapter,  has  been  assigned  to  Schwartz,  who 
went  to  India  a  generation  before  Carey,  and  who 
was  one  of  the  foremost  missionaries  since  St.  Paul. 

If  the  reader  asks  why  have  Moffat  and  Living- 
stone, Hannington  and  Patteson,  Judson  and  Carey, 
— names  which  have  become  household  words — no 
place  in  this  volume,  the  reply  is,  these  having 
found  a  place  in  the  author's  previous  volume,  he 
did  not  deem  it  necessary  to  include  them  here,  al- 
though they  were  also  pioneers.  The  temptation  to 
include  several  of  the  distinguished  Moravian  mis- 
sionaries was  only  successfully  resisted  after  an  ex- 
amination of  that  classic  upon  the  subject  by  one 
of  the  highest  authorities  on  missions  of  the  last 
century,  the  late  Rev.  A.  C.  Thompson,  D.D.,  of 
Boston. 

The  author  wishes  to  acknowledge  his  gratitude 
to  the  publishers,  who  have  extended  many  courte- 
sies, and  who  in  the  mechanical  part  of  the  work 
have  left  nothing  to  be  desired.  He  wishes  also  to 
express  his  sincere  thanks  to  Rev.  John  P.  Jones, 


Preface 


IX 


D.D.,  of  Madura,  India,  for  the  chapters  on  Drs. 
Miller  and  Murdoch ;  to  Rev.  E.  C.  Scudder  for  the 
sketch  of  his  distinguished  grandfather.  Dr.  John 
Scudder;  to  Prof.  Fred.  Bliss,  Ph.D.,  for  the  ad- 
mirable sketch  of  his  father.  President  Daniel  Bliss ; 
to  Rev.  James  L.  Barton,  D.D.,  of  Boston,  for  the 
chapter  on  President  Wheeler,  with  whom  he  was 
associated  in  Turkey  for  nearly  ten  years;  to  Mrs. 
Emma  R.  Clough,  Ph.D.,  for  the  brilliant  chapter 
in  which  she  tells  the  life  story  of  her  famous  hus- 
band. 

If  in  reading  this  book,  the  result  of  years  of 
study  of  missionary  biography,  some  young  soul  is 
moved  to  carry  the  Gospel  message  to  the  millions 
who  sit  in  darkness  in  lands  beyond  the  sea,  or  in 
the  ''isles  which  wait  for  him,"  as  Henry  Martyn 
was  led  to  missionary  service  by  reading  Jonathan 
Edwards'  life  of  David  Brainerd,  the  writer  will  feel 
that  he  has  been  repaid  an  hundred-fold. 

c.  c.  c. 

New  York,  May  29,  1903. 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

A  recent  German  writer,  Pastor  Striimpfel,  in  dis- 
cussing missionary  literature,  says,  "Was  ich  nicht 
weiss,  macht  mich  nicht  heiss."  Yet  it  is  not  all 
knowledge,  even  on  the  subject  of  missions,  that  has 
in  it  the  power  to  impart  ardor.  Much  missionary 
literature  is  written  without  any  definite  aim;  and 
while  it  may  result  in  wider  knowledge,  it  lacks  the 
power  to  interest  and  to  affect  the  life. 

If  the  experience  of  the  Educational  Department 
of  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement  for  Foreign 
Missions  has  made  any  one  conviction  stronger  than 
another,  it  is  that  college  men  and  women — and  pre- 
sumably other  young  people  as  well — are  most  af- 
fected by  life.  If  this  life  is  lived  under  unfavorable 
conditions  and  amid  scenes  that  are  new  and  strange, 
if  its  aims  are  heroic  and  Christlike,  and  if  in  the 
realization  of  those  purposes  peril  or  lifelong  stren- 
uousness  are  the  lot  of  the  hero,  by  so  much  the  more 
does  the  interest  increase.  The  man  who  forsakes 
all  that  youth  most  values  and  flings  himself  into 
some  forbidding  environment,  there  to  live  down 
hostility  or  to  face  death  in  order  that  the  words  of 


xii  Introductory  Note 

the  Gospel  and  the  acts  of  Jesus  may  be  brought  to 
bear  upon  races  in  deepest  degradation  and  need,  be- 
comes to  young  people  an  interpretation  of  Jesus  and 
an  inspiration  to  personal  devotion  to  his  unfinished 
work. 

It  is  for  some  such  reasons  that  a  volume  like  the 
present  one  cannot  fail  to  be  of  the  utmost  value  to 
the  cause  of  missions.  The  author  entered  upon  its 
composition  with  the  advantage  of  a  personal  pas- 
sion for  missions,  which  has  been  nurtured  by  long 
years  of  successful  advocacy  of  the  cause.  His  ear- 
lier volume  of  similar  character,  "Great  Mission- 
aries of  the  Church,"  has  been  highly  appreciated 
by  thousands  of  interested  readers.  This  new  ven- 
ture cannot  be  less  acceptable.  The  twenty-six  apos- 
tles whose  labors  are  here  so  clearly  sketched  are 
men  whose  lives  have  told  upon  the  nations.  About 
equally  divided  in  point  of  nationality  between 
America  and  Europe,  the  oneness  of  the  missionary 
enterprise  and  the  world-wide  brotherhood  of  mod- 
ern apostleship  are  most  happily  exemplified.  One 
of  the  special  values  of  the  collection  lies  in  the  fact 
that  much  of  the  material  here  found  is  inaccessible 
to  the  ordinary  reader,  either  because  the  printed 
biographies  of  the  earlier  missionaries  are  out  of 
print  or  else  because  the  life  is  not  yet  ended,  and 
hence  is  not  committed  to  writing.      Almost  half  a 


Introductory  Note  xiii 

dozen  of  the  latter  class  are  doing  a  work  of  pro- 
found significance,  and  when  the  reader  turns  from 
his  missionary  periodical  to  learn  further  concerning 
the  men  whose  words  he  has  just  been  reading,  to 
his  disappointment  he  finds  no  mention  of  their 
names  in  books  of  reference. 

This  volume  is  more  even  than  a  collection  of 
dynamic  biographies.  Studies  in  missionary  meth- 
ods are  made  possible  by  the  inclusion  in  it  of  mis- 
sionaries who  wrought  as  specialists  in  various  de- 
partments, as  well  as  of  those  versatile  workers  who, 
like  Cyrus  Hamlin,  were  masters  of  toward  a  score 
of  trades  and  employments.  Is  the  reader  lax  in  his 
spiritual  life?  Brainerd  and  Martyn  and  Hudson 
Taylor  will  be  a  tonic  to  him.  Do  we  lack  fortitude 
and  seek  easy  paths  in  life?  Such  pioneers  as  Mor- 
rison, Calvert,  and  Chalmers  put  us  to  shame.  Do 
our  young  people  feel  that  to  be  a  missionary  is  to 
throw  one's  life  away?  Read  the  story  of  Schwartz, 
India's  great  pioneer ;  of  Verbeck,  a  maker  of  Ja- 
pan ;  of  Duff,  who  was  the  first  great  Christian  edu- 
cator of  the  Hindus;  of  Bliss,  who  is  teaching  the 
Holy  Land  those  sciences  which  have  their  remote 
springs  in  Bethlehem  and  Nazareth  and  Calvary;  of 
John  Murdoch,  LL.D.,  the  oldest  writer  for  India's 
teeming  populations;  of  Peter  Parker,  who,  as  a 
medical  missionary,  opened  China  to  the  Gospel  at 


xiv  Introductory  Note 

the  point  of  his  lancet,  as  he  later  did  still  farther 
through  diplomacy.  But  space  fails  to  name  others 
in  this  galaxy  of  zeal  and  power.  A  perusal  of  these 
pages  will  show  that  the  half  has  not  been  told  or 
even  hinted  at. 

Harlan  P.  Beach, 
Educational  Secretary  Student  Volunteer  Movement 


PIONEER    MISSIONARIES 


BISHOP   REGINALD   HEBER,  D.D. 

BORN  APRIL  21,    I783. 
DIED    APRIL      3,    1826. 

To  many  of  former  generations  the  name  of 
Reginald  Heber  suggested  the  distinguished  scholar 
of  Oxford  studying  and  winning  rare  honors;  to 
others  he  will  ever  be  the  loved  Bishop  of  Calcutta, 
working  and  dying  to  uplift  the  oppressed;  but  to 
the  whole  world  to-day  he  is  known  as  the  composer 
of  some  of  our  grandest  church  hymns.  His  endur- 
ing fame  will  perhaps  forever  rest  on  the  monument 
of  these  loved,  sacred  poems. 

In  the  quiet  country  rectory  of  Cheshire,  Reginald 
Heber  was  born  April  21,  1783.  Fortunate  is  the 
child  who  can  listen  to  stories  of  ancestors  whose 
lives  are  proudly  traced  back  through  England's 
noblest  families  to  the  days  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  and 
this  boy  eagerly  listened  to  the  tales  of  the  deeds  of 
valor  and  chivalry,  and  looked  with  interest  on  the 
shining  coat  of  arms  of  which  the  family  members 
boasted.      But  his  rare  mental  and  moral  qualities 


2  Pioneer  Missionaries 

constituted  his  richest  inheritance  from  his  ances- 
try. 

His  life-work  seemed  but  an  echo  of  his  childhood 
days.  It  has  been  said,  "Heber  was  a  born  bishop," 
At  the  age  of  three  we  see  his  early  missionary  spirit 
of  help  and  comfort  when  in  the  midst  of  a  severe 
storm  he  allays  his  mother's  fears  by  saying,  "Do  not 
be  afraid,  mamma,  God  will  take  care  of  us."  His 
early  loving  care  in  that  storm  and  darkness  was  but 
prophetic  of  his  later  care  of  many  distressed  souls 
in  the  spiritual  darkness  of  foreign  lands.  At  five 
he  is  a  little  clergyman  reading  the  Scriptures  under- 
standingly,  and  naming  instantly  the  book  and  chap- 
ter of  verses  which  his  father  and  friends  suggest. 
At  six  he  is  a  veritable  university  student,  absorbing 
at  a  glance  the  pages  of  a  Latin  grammar,  and  at 
seven  we  see  a  miniature  of  the  future  poet,  render- 
ing "Phsedrus"  into  verse.  The  ambitious,  gener- 
ous, loving  traits  of  his  boyhood  days  increase  and 
develop  into  the  noblest  qualities  of  manhood. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  was  in  college.  This 
was  the  beginning  of  a  brilliant  university  career. 
The  life  at  Oxford  was  a  constant  inspiration  to  his 
studious,  ambitious  nature.  One  rare  honor  fol- 
lowed another,  and  each  was  earned  by  his  close  ap- 
plication, steadfast  activity  and  untiring  devotion. 
For  the  Newdigate  Prize  he  prepared  his  famous 
poem  "Palestine,"  and,  at  a  suggestion  from  his 


Reginald  Heber  3 

friend,  Walter  Scott,  he  added  some  of  the  most 
popular  lines  to  this  production,  which  became  one 
of  the  best-loved  of  religious  verse  of  those  years 
and  has  been  incorporated  with  the  highest  and  best 
poetry  on  divine  subjects.  Soon  it  was  translated 
into  Welsh  and  set  to  music.  In  Blackwood's  Maga- 
zine a  writer  said,  "None  who  heard  Reginald 
Heber  recite  his  'Palestine'  in  that  magnificent  thea- 
ter will  ever  forget  his  appearance — so  interesting 
and  impressive;  in  the  hush  the  audience  felt  that 
this  was  not  the  mere  display  of  the  skill  and  in- 
genuity of  a  clever  youth,  but  that  here  was  a  poet 
indeed,  not  only  of  high  promise  but  of  high  achieve- 
ment." Little  did  he  dream  that  day  that  seven- 
teen years  later  he  would  enjoy  the  rare  privilege  of 
hearing  his  "Palestine"  performed  as  an  oratorio  in 
the  same  building. 

In  1805,  with  his  friend  John  Thornton,  he  made 
a  tour  of  Europe,  which  was  at  that  time  on  the 
threshold  of  catastrophe  and  aflame  with  war. 
Through  Sweden,  Norway,  Finland  and  Russia  the 
young  men  traveled.  Heber  is  constantly  writing 
of  his  daily  experiences,  and  his  notes  are  of  unusual 
interest.  Now  he  writes  of  some  Norwegian  fairy 
lore,  again  an  ancient  ruin  or  a  simple  peasant  ar- 
rests his  attention ;  notes  follow  of  huge  upheavals  of 
rocks,  encampments  of  the  Finns,  the  beautiful  and 
natural  features  of  Stockholm,  and  again  a  page  de- 


4  Pioneer  Missionaries 

scribes  an  exciting  sledge  journey  over  the  frozen 
plains  of  Russia.  All  these  are  recreations;  but, 
added  to  the  pleasures,  are  the  thoughtful  hours 
given  to  the  mingling  of  the  Eastern  and  Greek  lan- 
guages v^^ith  the  Russian,  the  impressions  received 
from  his  first  glimpse  of  the  worship  of  the  Moham- 
medans, and  greatest  of  all  is  his  first  real  and  deep 
interest  in  the  work  of  foreign  missions. 

October,  1806,  sees  him  again  in  Oxford,  and 
now,  deciding  to  take  priests'  orders,  he  once  more 
becomes  the  diligent  student,  working  and  reading 
early  and  late.  In  1807  he  is  ordained  deacon,  and 
in  a  letter  writes,  "I  hope  and  trust  for  God's  guid- 
ance." In  August,  1807,  we  hear  of  him  first  as  a 
pastor.  How  gladly  his  old  home  friends  welcomed 
him  as  their  leader !  How  they  admired  the  brilliant 
young  student  who  stood  up  before  them !  Is  it 
strange  that  some  of  the  old  people  of  Hodnut  wept 
before  he  had  even  uttered  one  word  of  his  first  ser- 
mon? 

Now  came  days  full  of  loving,  conscientious  min- 
istrations and  devotion  to  his  ever-increasing  parish 
duties,  but  all  was  accomplished  with  the  same  stead- 
fast purpose,  unflinching  resolve  and  untiring  en- 
ergy. But  besides  this  work  his  days  were  filled 
with  preparations  for  lectures  on  philosophic,  lit- 
erary and  religious  subjects,  attention  to  questions 
of  political  importance,  contributions  to  the  Quar- 


Reginald   Heber  5 

terly  Review  and  activity  in  missionary  matters.  At 
the  same  time  he  was  busy  on  his  elaborate  work, 
"The  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,"  giving  attention  also 
to  the  collection  and  publication  of  a  book  of  poems 
and  translations  and  writing  reviews  of  books.  His 
work  was  prodigious,  but  in  it  all  he  was  helped  by 
his  wife,  who  lovingly  and  cheerfully  shared  and 
lightened  each  care  and  burden. 

It  was  his  desire  to  economize  the  labor  of  organ- 
izing funds  and  workers  for  a  common  cause,  and  in 
1819  a  Royal  Letter  was  issued  authorizing  collec- 
tions to  be  made  in  every  church  and  chapel  to  aid 
the  work  of  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel  in  India  and  the  East.  He  journeyed  to 
Wrexham  to  hear  his  father-in-law.  Dean  Shipley, 
preach  a  sermon  in  reference  to  this  subject.  On  the 
day  previous,  the  Dean  asked  him  if  he  would  write 
some  hymn  suitable  for  such  an  occasion.  Heber, 
filled  with  enthusiasm,  wrote  the  familiar  lines 
beginning,  "From  Greenland's  Icy  Mountains." 
This  famous  hymn  was  impromptu,  coming  from  a 
heart  devout  and  full,  and  a  mind  skilled  and  in- 
spired. The  joyous,  inspiring  strains  have  continued 
to  echo  and  re-echo  in  the  hearts  of  God's  people 
ever  since  they  were  first  sung  in  that  beautiful  old 
church  in  Wrexham  on  that  Sabbath  morning  long 
ago  in  1 8 19.  A  hymn  book  to-day  would  seem  in- 
complete without  this  grand  old  missionary  hymn, 


6  Pioneer  Missionaries 

which  so  thoroughly  voiced  Reginald  Heber's  de- 
sire: 

"Shall  we  whose  souls  are  lighted 
By  wisdom  from  on  high, 
Shall  we  to  men  benighted 
The  light  of  life  deny?" 

The  very  depth  of  his  ambition  and  zeal  and  the 
intensity  of  his  wish  he  poured  forth  in 

"Salvation  !    Oh,  salvation ! 
The  joyful  sound  proclaim, 
Till  earth's  remotest  nation 
Has  learned  Messiah's  name." 

This  was  not  Heber's  first  hymn,  for  in  1811  and 
181 2  The  Christian  Observer  contained  a  number  of 
his  hymns,  and  in  181 7,  when  he  was  appointed  to 
a  Canonry  in  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Asaph,  he  com- 
posed many  a  sacred  poem  as  he  journeyed  on  horse- 
back into  Wales. 

In  1820  he  began  to  collect  and  place  his  hymns 
in  book  form.  The  collection  comprised  hymns  suit- 
able for  the  Sundays  and  principal  holy  days  of  the 
year.  How  welcome  such  a  book  was  will  be  real- 
ized from  the  fact  that  at  this  time  there  were  few 
good  hymns,  simple  and  reverent,  that  were  easily 
accessible.  Walter  Scott  and  Robert  Southey  con- 
tributed to  his  collection  and  soon  the  book  was  sent 
forth.     For  the  first  time  provision  was  thus  made 


Reginald  Heber  7 

for  suitable  hymns  for  Advent,  Christmas,  Passion 
Week,  Easter  and  other  occasions. 

Sunday  after  Sunday  in  all  our  Protestant 
churches  to-day,  the  splendid  and  majestic  roll  of 
his  "Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  Lord  God  Almighty!" 
surges  through  the  aisles,  and  its  magnificent  cres- 
cendo sweeping  on,  thrills  the  soul  of  every  listener. 
In  his  "Hymn  for  the  Epiphany"  many  a  heart  finds 
an  echo  of  its  own  faith  and  gratitude.  In  the  front 
rank  of  the  world's  best  and  devoted  singers  of  all 
that  is  true  and  sublime  will  be  found  the  name  of 
Reginald  Heber.  Besides  his  hymns,  translations 
and  poems,  he  wrote  prose  enough  to  fill  several  vol- 
umes of  sermons,  addresses  and  lectures  and  one  of 
travels. 

In  December,  1822,  Heber  was  asked  to  consider 
the  appointment  as  Bishop  of  Calcutta.  His  earnest 
work  for  missions,  his  deep  interest  in  India  and  his 
ardent  desire  for  a  greater  field  for  usefulness  led 
him  to  accept.  With  courage  and  hope  he,  with  his 
brave  wife,  left  for  India,  June  15,  1823,  she  realiz- 
ing even  more  than  he  that  the  task  before  him  called 
for  almost  superhuman  labor  and  endurance.  How 
different  was  the  India  of  1823  from  the  India  of 
to-day !  Then  it  was  one  vast  see,  including  not  only 
the  entire  peninsula  but  the  Crown  Colony  of  Cey- 
lon, the  continent  of  Australia,  the  colonies  of  Tas- 
mania and  New  Zealand.  To  these  were  added 
Mauritius,    Cape    of    Good    Hope    and    Madeira. 


8  Pioneer  Missionaries 

These  wide-spread  districts  were  in  a  troubled  state; 
suspicions,  jealousies  and  threatenings  were  on  all 
sides,  yet  Reginald  Heber  did  not  once  shrink  from 
the  immense  task  before  him. 

On  October  lo,  1823,  they  reached  Calcutta. 
Not  only  strange  scenes,  strange  faces  and  unknown 
perils  confronted  him,  but  also  a  task  grown  colossal 
since  the  death  of  Bishop  Middleton.  Quarrels, 
disputes  and  outbreaks  immediately  demanded  de- 
cisive action  and  the  practical  administration  of  his 
ready  tact,  rare  judgment  and  wise  counsels.  There 
was  no  time  for  the  deliberate  study  of  the  serious 
problems,  but  despite  these  obstacles  of  so  grave 
and  disheartening  a  character,  he  met  all  with  an 
unfaltering  faith  and  courage.  Ever  ardent  and 
ever  clinging  to  what  seemed  best  and  true  to  him, 
he  conquered  what  would  have  intimidated  and 
crushed  any  other  man.  To  him  a  stupendous  task 
was  not  appalling.  With  judgment  and  zeal  he 
turned  bitterness  into  harmony,  infused  new  life 
where  indifference  had  existed,  re-established  Bish- 
op's College,  that  school  which  represented  the  early 
attempt  in  India  to  educate  the  Hindu  in  secular  as 
well  as  religious  subjects,  and  established  schools 
for  native  girls.  Everywhere  his  guidance,  his 
leadership  and  his  influence  were  immediately  felt. 

In  June,  1824,  he  set  out  on  his  first  visitation, 
which  was  one  of  the  most  extensive  ever  under- 
taken.     He   traveled   over   his    spiritual    kingdom 


Reginald   Heber  9 

from  bound  to  bound,  by  land,  by  water,  through 
peril  and  danger.  Now  he  was  huddled  in  a  close 
little  boat  passing  the  flat  alluvial  country,  again  it 
was  through  some  unhealthy  district,  some  jungle, 
thicket  or  malarial  swamp  that  had  to  be  passed  to 
reach  a  remote  station.  There  were  days  when  he 
would  spend  as  many  as  eight  hours  in  public  wor- 
ship. The  labor  was  indeed  heavy  and  the  toil  un- 
remitting. But  with  a  cheerful  and  brave  heart  he 
made  a  formidable  and  prolonged  land  march,  con- 
tinuing from  September  until  April.  One  adventur- 
ous journey  followed  another,  and  in  ten  months  he 
had  visited  every  important  station  in  the  upper 
provinces. 

Only  a  few  days  of  rest,  peace  and  happiness 
came,  when  he  met  his  wife  once  more  in  Bombay, 
before  he  again  started  for  the  southern  provinces. 
Although  but  recently  recovered  from  a  severe  fever 
his  indomitable  perseverance  and  eagerness  seemed 
to  overpower  his  physical  weariness.  It  was  ever 
of  others,  and  never  of  himself,  that  he  thought. 
Once  more,  but  now  in  intense  heat  and  in  the  sickly 
season,  he  is  daily  preaching — often  in  several 
languages — presiding  at  crowded  meetings,  visiting 
and  addressing  schools,  establishing  mission  sta- 
tions, confirming  and  baptizing,  settling  quarrels 
and  clerical  differences,  attending  to  social  duties 
and  always  planning  for  the  advancement  of  his 
people.     How  eager,  how  delighted  and  happy  he 


lo  Pioneer  Missionaries 

was  by  the  encouragement  with  which  he  met !  His 
heart  was  full,  and  that  great  heart  included  all  those 
so  lately  rescued  from  the  polluting  services  of  the 
pagoda.  He  said,  "I  bless  them  all — the  good 
people."  Never  before  had  he  been  so  intensely,  so 
powerfully  interested.  He  seemed  not  to  know  of 
fatigue,  pain  or  danger. 

On  April  3,  1826,  after  a  period  of  unusual  work 
and  mental  excitement,  he  left  his  companions  for  a 
few  moments  rest.  Soon  after  he  was  found  in  his 
room  dead.  He  had,  in  a  moment,  gone  to  the  rest 
that  is  of  eternal  duration. 

For  less  than  three  years  he  had  held  the  Bishop- 
ric of  Calcutta,  yet  how  full  each  year  had  been ! 
How  grand  in  the  beginning !  How  productive  in  the 
end !  No  man  ever  left  so  great  a  mark  upon  India 
in  so  short  a  time.  His  life  was  reckoned  not  by 
years  but  by  deeds — by  heart  throbs.  His  was  one 
of  those  inspiring  forces  which  accomplish  greater 
deeds  in  one  year  than  many  another  can  do  in  a 
lifetime.  His  matchless  energy,  noble  unselfish- 
ness and  Christian  intrepidity  made  him  a  living  ex- 
ample of  that  higher,  nobler  life  into  which  he  strove 
to  lead  the  people  of  India. 


ROBERT  MORRISON,  D.D. 

BORN      JANUARY      5,     1782. 
DIED    AUGUST    I,     1834. 

Robert  Morrison  was  the  first  Protestant  mis- 
sionary to  China.  For  twenty-seven  years,  with  no 
hope  of  seeing  the  superstructure,  he  endeavored  to 
lay  the  foundation  for  improved  conditions  in  that 
vast  empire. 

In  the  picturesque  Httle  town  of  Morpeth,  North- 
umberland, he  was  born  January  5,  1782.  When 
but  three  years  old,  his  father,  a  Scotch  farm  labor- 
er, moved  to  Newcastle-upon-Tyne,  where  he  estab- 
lished a  business  as  a  last  and  boot-tree  manu- 
facturer. 

In  his  early  studies  Robert  Morrison  was  pro- 
nounced a  dunce,  but  later  he  manifested  great  in- 
terest and  then  made  rapid  progress.  He  was  re- 
markable for  the  retentiveness  of  his  memory.  One 
evening  when  but  twelve,  he  repeated  without  an 
error  the  whole  of  the  one  hundred  and  nineteenth 
psalm. 

His  conduct  was  not  always  exemplary.  He  says 
he  became  "somewhat  loose  and  profane"  and  was 
"once  intoxicated,"  but  at  sixteen  the  consciousness 


12  Pioneer  Missionaries 

of  wrong-doing  led  him  to  relinquish  his  "wicked 
companions"  and  bad  habits,  and  his  days  were  then 
spent  in  reading,  meditation  and  prayer  with  fre- 
quent visits  to  the  poor,  sick  and  distressed. 

When  twenty-one  he  entered  Hoxton  Academy, 
a  Congregational  Theological  Institution,  near  Lon- 
don, afterward  called  Highbury  College.  The  ex- 
pense of  his  tuition  was  saved  out  of  earnings,  and 
this  extra  work  to  procure  money  compelled  him  to 
study  often  until  twelve  and  one  o'clock  during  the 
night  hours. 

His  mother  was  painfully  startled  one  day  to 
learn  of  his  intention  to  engage  in  foreign  mission- 
ary work.  His  teachers  and  friends  portrayed  the 
great  difficulties  of  the  foreign  service,  begged  him 
to  consider  the  special  opportunities  in  home  work 
and  even  offered  him  a  training  at  one  of  the  Scot- 
tish universities,  if  he  would  relinquish  his  project, 
but  May  27,  1804,  he  resolutely  offered  himself  to 
the  London  Missionary  Society  and  was  accepted. 
He  was  sent  immediately  to  the  Missionary  College 
at  Gosport,  where  he  began  such  studies  as  would 
best  fit  him  for  service  in  China — 'for  his  mind  was 
ever  fixed  upon  China  as  a  field  for  work.  He 
prayed  that  God  would  station  him  "in  that  part  of 
the  missionary  field  where  the  difficulties  were  the 
greatest  and,  to  all  human  appearances,  the  most  in- 
surmountable." 

On  January  8,   1807,  he  started  for  Canton  by 


Robert  Morrison  13 

way  of  New  York.  After  a  perilous  and  trying 
voyage  of  one  hundred  and  nine  days  the  United 
States  were  reached.  Here  he  remained  until  May 
12,  when  on  the  Trident  he  sailed  for  China.  The 
ship  owner  in  whose  vessel  he  embarked  said  sar- 
castically, "And  so,  Mr.  Morrison,  you  really  expect 
that  you  will  make  an  impression  on  the  idolatry  of 
the  great  Chinese  Empire?" 

"No,  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Morrison  with  energy,  *T 
expect  God  will !" 

On  September  8,  after  a  four  months'  voyage, 
he  arrived  at  Canton.  Single-handed  and  alone, 
with  no  companion  to  share  the  trials  and  responsi- 
bilities of  his  great  work,  he  stood  upon  the  thresh- 
old of  the  world's  most  populous  empire.  Four  hun- 
dred million  souls  who  had  maintained  so  long  a 
seclusion,  and  who  were  forbidden  under  penalty  of 
death  to  teach  their  language  to  foreigners,  made 
the  work  before  him  seem  almost  hopeless.  Was 
he  undertaking  the  unattainable  in  this  country 
whose  history  stretched  back  to  the  exodus  from 
Egypt,  whose  state  religion  was  a  mere  pageant, 
whose  duties  were  but  ceremonies  of  homage  paid 
to  gods,  and  whose  reverence  was  but  a  false  wor- 
ship paid  to  spirits  of  deceased  emperors  and  an- 
cestors? Were  their  successive  dynasties,  invested 
in  a  halo  of  romance,  to  ever  remain  unbroken? 
Were  their  hoary  systems  of  religion  and  philos- 
ophy to  ever  remain  unalterable?    It  was  for  Robert 


14  Pioneer  Missionaries       V***    • 

Morrison  to  give  to  the  world  the  answers  to  these 
questions. 

After  securing  apartments  in  the  American  fac- 
tory, which  were  much  Hke  the  basement  rooms  of  a 
warehouse,  he  engaged  the  services  of  Abel  Yun, 
a  Roman  Catholic  Chinaman  from  Peking.  This 
teacher  was  obtained  with  much  difficulty  and  was 
the  agent  of  the  Romish  missionaries  at  Peking. 

Mr.  Morrison  was  compelled  to  live  in  strict 
retirement  and  pass  as  an  American,  for  as  an 
Englishman  he  dared  not  be  known.  It  was 
of  the  utmost  importance  that  every  movement  be 
quiet. 

Near  the  close  of  the  year  1807  he  realized  that 
the  Americans  who  were  protecting  him  were  some- 
what disturbed  on  account  of  his  identification  with 
them.  To  remove  this  difficulty  and  still  be  able  to 
study  the  language  and  people,  he  assumed  the 
costume  of  the  Chinaman,  wearing  a  pig-tail,  loose 
gown  and  thick  clumsy  shoes.  He  dined  with  his 
teacher,  ate  Chinese  dishes  with  chop-sticks  and  al- 
most exclusively  associated  himself  with  the  native 
people.  This  manner  of  living  proved  detrimental 
to  his  health,  however,  and  as  little  was  gained,  he 
at  last  gave  away  his  dress,  and  donned  again  his 
white  jacket  and  straw  hat. 

He  could  see  that  progress  was  being  made  in  his 
work.  English  residents  at  Canton  and  foreigners 
showed  more  sympathy  and  respect  for  him.     Some 


Robert  Morrison  15 

were  friendly  enough  to  send  him  books,  among 
which  was  a  Latin-Chinese  dictionary  valued  at  fifty 
pounds.  These  books  were  highly  prized  by  him, 
for  the  Chinese  Government  had  been  very  watchful 
lest  foreigners  should  gain  possession  of  any  of  their 
books ! 

After  a  time,  in  failing  health,  Mr.  Morrison  went 
to  Macao,  where  in  great  mental  depression,  but  with 
unyielding  industry,  he  perfected  himself  in  the 
language,  practicing  it  constantly — even  his  secret 
prayers  were  uttered  in  broken  Chinese.  In  Macao 
his  health  gradually  improved  and  with  renewed 
energy  he  worked  upon  his  Chinese  grammar,  which 
was  completed  in  1808;  he  then  commenced  a 
Chinese  dictionary,  after  having  prepared  a  part  of 
the  New  Testament  for  the  press.  Each  new  literary 
work  was  prepared  at  the  expense  of  untold  labor, 
and  in  the  face  of  great  obstacles  and  discourage- 
ments. At  times  his  Chinese  assistants  and  teachers 
showed  such  violent  and  ungovernable  temper  that 
they  attempted  to  assault  him ;  again  his  manuscript 
was  stolen,  torn  or  damaged ;  once  the  blocks  which 
the  type-cutters  had  prepared  were  destroyed ;  at  an- 
other time,  in  a  disastrous  fire,  many  of  his  valuable 
papers  were  burned.  Almost  every  month  a  new 
and  grave  difficulty  arose  which  impeded  his  labors, 
yet  with  unyielding  courage  he  toiled  on  through 
the  long  weeks,  knowing  that  his  life  was  constantly 
in  danger. 


1 6  Pioneer  Missionaries 

On  February  20,  1809,  he  married  the  daughter 
of  Dr.  Morton,  who  resided  at  Macao.  On  his  wed- 
ding day  he  received  an  appointment  as  official 
translator  of  Chinese  to  the  East  India  Company  at 
Canton,  at  a  salary  of  five  hundred  pounds  a  year. 
His  life  was  now  less  exposed  to  danger  and  he  en- 
tered upon  this  greatest  enterprise  with  enthusiasm. 

In  1810  he  published  one  thousand  copies  of  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles.  In  181 1  a  version  of  St. 
Luke  was  issued,  besides  tracts  and  a  catechism. 
His  Chinese  grammar,  which  he  had  completed,  was 
forwarded  to  Bengal,  to  the  governor-general  of 
India,  to  be  printed.  Month  after  month  passed  and 
one  delay  succeeded  another  until  three  years  elapsed 
before  it  was  printed.  Besides  his  work  on  the  New 
Testament,  the  Old  Testament  and  hymns,  he  con- 
tinued his  preaching  to  the  natives  each  Sunday. 
These  little  meetings  were  quietly  conducted  in  his 
own  house,  and  his  congregation  of  eleven  gave  him 
courage  as  they  gradually  seemed  to  gain  some 
knowledge  of  the  truth  and  became  perceptibly 
ashamed  of  their  former  idol  worship. 

In  18 12  the  Chinese  Government  issued  an  edict 
prohibiting  the  teaching  of  Christianity,  announcing 
death  as  the  penalty  to  such  propagators  and  banish- 
ment or  imprisonment  to  any  who  should  embrace 
it.  To  print  books  on  the  Chinese  religion  in  their 
language  was  now  rendered  a  capital  crime ;  but  this 
brave  determined  man  wrote  to  the  missionary  so- 


Robert   Morrison  17 

ciety  in  London:  "I  must,  however,  go  forward, 
trusting  in  the  Lord."  The  threats  of  the  govern- 
ment did  not  prevent  the  judicious  and  frequent 
distribution  of  Scriptures  and  tracts,  which  were 
read  with  avidity  by  a  httle  band  of  natives. 

In  November,  A-Fo  said  to  Mr.  Morrison,  "I 
hearken  to  what  you  say  of  the  vanity  of  worship- 
ing wooden,  clay  and  other  images."  He  at  this 
time  expressed  his  beHef  in  Christ  and  desired  bap- 
tism, but  added,  "My  brothers  must  not  know  it." 
This  circumstance  was  a  grateful  encouragement  to 
Mr.  Morrison's  work,  even  though  the  motive  might 
be  questionable. 

Mr.  Morrison  spent  his  days  between  Macao  and 
Canton,  working  industriously  in  both  places.  His 
work  was  looked  upon  with  suspicion  by  many  and 
a  day  came  when  some  merchants  disclosed  his  name 
to  the  government,  with  the  astounding  fact  that  he 
had  learned  the  Chinese  language.  Measures  were 
at  once  taken  for  the  arrest  of  his  assistants,  but, 
learning  this,  Mr.  Morrison  promptly  sent  them 
away.  His  apprehensions  were  painfully  excited, 
but  quietly  and  courageously  he  worked  day  after 
day  and  the  excitement  at  length  abated. 

On  July  4,  1813,  how  rejoiced  were  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Morrison  to  learn  that  Mr.  Milne  and  his  wife  had 
arrived  in  Macao.  Here  indeed  was  a  brother  mis- 
sionary and  a  friend.  A  more  hearty  welcome  was 
never  given  to  a  missionary  than  that  which  greeted 


1 8  Pioneer  Missionaries 

these  co-workers.  But  hostility  broke  out  afresh. 
An  appeal  was  made  to  the  governor  and  it  was  de- 
termined that  Mr.  Milne  must  not  remain  in  Macao, 
so  in  sixteen  days  he  was  in  Canton,  where  he  pur- 
sued his  work. 

On  July  i6,  1814,  Mr.  Morrison  performed  an 
act  for  which  he  had  labored,  hoped  and  prayed 
through  seven  long  years.  On  that  day  he  baptized 
Tsae  Ako,  one  of  his  former  teachers.  This  was 
the  first  fruit  of  his  arduous  labor.  Here  indeed  was 
one  convert  after  his  prolonged  ministry,  and  well 
did  Tsae  Ako  adhere  to  his  faith  until  death. 

In  October,  181 5,  Mr.  Morrison  was  dismissed 
from  the  East  India  Company's  service.  He  now 
possessed  valuable  knowledge  of  the  country,  the 
character  of  the  people  and  their  language.  The 
large  edition  of  the  New  Testament  had  been  printed 
in  Chinese  and  had  been  partially  circulated.  An 
important  and  promising  branch  of  the  mission  had 
been  established  at  Malacca  and  by  means  of  the 
press  the  Gospel  had  been  diffused  among  those  who 
could  read  Chinese.  Two  natives  had  renounced 
idolatry,  progress  had  been  made  in  the  translation 
of  the  Old  Testament,  morning  and  evening  prayers 
of  the  Church  of  England  had  been  translated,  also 
a  work  on  China  and  its  literature,  and  that  for- 
midable undertaking,  the  Chinese  dictionary,  was  in 
progress.  All  this  he  had  accomplished,  unaided 
and  alone,  and  the  Missionary  Society  had  expected 


Robert  Morrison  19 

of  him  only  to  "learn  the  language  and  by  degrees 
render  the  sacred  Scriptures  into  Chinese."  Surely 
his  had  been  a  wonderful  work!  Learned  men  of 
all  countries  were  giving  his  great  efforts  their  at- 
tention, and  were  warmly  recognizing  his  attain- 
ments and  services. 

The  foundation  of  the  Anglo-Chinese  College  at 
Malacca  was  a  consummation  devoutly  hoped  for, 
and  on  November  10,  1818,  the  foundation  stone 
was  laid.  Mr.  Morrison  contributed  one  thousand 
pounds  toward  its  erection  and  one  hundred  pounds 
annually  for  five  years  toward  its  support,  besides 
giving  valuable  books  for  its  library. 

On  November  25,  1819,  Dr.  Morrison,  with  a 
heart  full  of  inexpressible  happiness,  wrote :  "By 
the  mercy  of  God,  an  entire  version  of  the  books  of 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments  into  the  Chinese 
language  was  this  day  brought  to  a  conclusion." 
The  final  achievement  of  this  toilsome  but  loving 
labor  was  a  memorable  event  for  both  himself  and 
Mr.  Milne,  who  had  assisted  in  the  formidable  task. 
The  joy  entertained  by  the  world's  Christian  mis- 
sions was  intense.  Letters  of  thanksgiving  and  con- 
gratulation were  received  from  all  parts  of  the 
earth. 

With  unwearied  assiduity  he  still  labored  on  his 
Chinese  dictionary,  which  in  1823  was  published, 
bringing  still  greater  acclamations  of  praise.  This 
was    his    greatest    life-work,    representing    sixteen 


20  Pioneer  Missionaries 

years  of  thought  and  eight  years  of  almost  unre- 
mitting labor.  It  was  now  issued  at  a  cost  of  twelve 
thousand  pounds  by  the  East  India  Company.  It 
filled  six  large  quarto  volumes,  four  thousand  five 
hundred  and  ninety-five  pages  and  recorded  forty 
thousand  words  expressed  by  the  Chinese  character. 
His  name  was  now  universally  famous.  Testimo- 
nies regarding  the  immense  value  and  importance  of 
such  a  marvelous  work  were  very  helpful  to  this 
hard-working  missionary  in  his  loneliness. 

In  December,  1823,  he  sailed  for  England,  thus 
gratifying  his  long-deferred  desire  to  visit  his  native 
land  and  beloved  home  friends.  His  reception  was 
more  enthusiastic  than  he  had  dreamed  it  could  be. 
The  King  received  him  with  marked  attention;  the 
Royal  Society  elected  him  a  Fellow  of  its  learned 
body;  crowds  gathered  about  him  to  hear  him 
preach  and  he  was  everywhere  recognized  as  the 
translator  of  the  Bible  into  the  language  of  nearly 
half  the  human  race. 

In  1826  he  was  once  more  in  China,  and  now  he 
began  the  gigantic  work  of  preparing  a  commen- 
tary on  the  Bible  in  Chinese.  His  labors  were 
even  more  untiring  than  in  former  days.  Besides 
preaching  almost  regularly  to  European  and  Amer- 
ican seamen,  he  was  constantly  superintending  the 
distribution  of  books,  tracts  and  pamphlets.  How 
different  in  1832  were  the  conditions  from  those  of 
1807!    He  now  beheld  Chinese  scholars,  missionary 


Robert   Morrison  21 

students,  English  presses  and  Chinese  Scriptures, 
and  the  change  was  largely  accomplished  through 
his  own  efforts.  Yet  at  how  great  a  cost !  He  had 
ever  thought  of  himself  last  and  in  these  later  years 
he  unconsciously  overtaxed  his  powers  in  every  de- 
partment of  his  work.  The  summer  of  1834  found 
him  suddenly  exhausted  by  his  ceaseless  labors.  A 
fever,  w^hich  defied  the  skill  of  his  medical  advisers, 
resulted  in  his  death  on  August  i,  1834. 

A  monument  at  Macao,  with  an  appropriate  in- 
scription, commemorates  his  labors  and  his  virtues, 
but  a  more  enduring  monument  exists  in  the  Morri- 
son  Educative   Society,   which   was  established   in 

1835- 

He  had  ever  been  a  devoted  Christian  and  faithful 
friend  to  the  Chinese.  His  generous  sympathies 
were  ever  aroused  by  all  cases  of  individual  necessity 
and  matters  of  public  good  during  the  twenty-seven 
years  which  were  cheerfully  spent  in  extending 
Christ's  kingdom  in  the  Orient. 


REV.  JOHN    ELIOT,  A.M. 

Born  1604. 

Died  May  20,  1690. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century  a  very 
unpretentious  family,  dwelling  in  the  village  of  Na- 
sing,  which  is  situated  in  one  of  the  prettiest  parts 
of  England,  counted  among  its  members  a  small  lad 
carefully  trained  by  good  and  tender  parents. 

John  Eliot  was  physically  and  mentally  robust. 
Fortunately,  he  was  able  to  obtain  a  university  edu- 
cation, and  his  fondness  for  the  languages  being 
marked,  he  was  especially  fitted  for  his  later  difficult 
task  of  mastering  the  Indian  language.  In  the 
youthful  days  of  Eliot  it  was  not  thought  much  of 
an  honor  to  be  known  as  a  teacher.  Accepting  a 
position  as  a  teacher  in  the  grammar  school  of  Rev. 
Thomas  Hooker  he  was  still  further  prepared  for 
his  future  work  as  teacher  to  the  red  men  across  the 
seas. 

This  was  the  time  of  intense  religious  intolerance 
in  England,  and  following  the  course  pursued  by 
many  others,  Eliot  sought  a  home  and  work  in  New 
England.  Filled  with  an  intense  desire  to  preach 
the  Gospel,  on  landing  at  Boston  he  found  a  church 


John  Eliot  23 

all  ready  for  him,  their  pastor  being  absent  at  the 
time.  This  was  in  the  fall  of  1631,  and  for  a  year 
he  worked  and  waited  for  the  happier  more  settled 
days  which  were  to  follow. 

Some  of  his  friends  in  England  proposed  to  come 
to  this  country  and  also  determined  that  John  Eliot 
should  be  their  pastor.  They  settled  in  Roxbury, 
near  Boston,  where  he  was  installed  November  5, 
1632.  A  few  weeks  before  this  he  was  married  to  a 
brave,  noble-hearted  girl,  we  are  not  told  her  name, 
who  had  promised  to  join  him  in  his  work  before 
he  left  his  native  shores. 

This  parish  was  the  only  one  he  ever  had.  He 
began  his  work  by  being  perfectly  fearless  in  de- 
nouncing whatever  he  thought  wrong.  An  incident 
is  given  of  his  severely  arraigning  the  government 
from  the  pulpit  because  of  their  concluding  a  treaty 
with  the  Pequot  Indians  without  obtaining  the  con- 
sent of  the  people.  For  this  bold  act  the  govern- 
ment sent  three  ministers  to  "deal  with"  him.  Mr. 
Eliot,  when  convinced  that  he  had  committed  an 
error,  was  as  ready  to  confess  it  as  he  had  been  to 
denounce  the  act  to  which  he  had  objected.  Two 
other  friends  and  himself  prepared  a  new  version 
of  the  Psalms,  and  in  1640  it  was  brought  out  as 
the  first  book  printed  in  America. 

Along  with  his  parish  at  Roxbury,  Mr.  Eliot's 
interests  were  keenly  alive  to  the  needs  of  the  In- 
dians and  he  resolved  to  become  teacher  and  preach- 


24  Pioneer  Missionaries 

er  among  them.  His  efforts  were  the  first  ones  to- 
ward giving  the  red  men  knowledge  of  the  true 
God,  akhough  the  charter  of  Massachusetts  had 
made  provision  for  attention  to  the  spiritual  inter- 
ests of  the  Indians.  The  religion  of  the  latter  was  a 
simple  belief  in  the  authors  of  good  and  evil.  Be- 
sides, they  had  a  profound  faith  in  numberless  spirits. 
No  work  could  be  done  among  them  unless  their 
language  with  its  intricate  construction  was  mas- 
tered. This  was  not  so  hard  a  task  for  Mr.  Eliot 
as  it  would  have  been  for  many,  for  his  natural  apti- 
tude for  linguistic  studies  helped  at  this  juncture  not 
a  little.  He  found  a  satisfactory  assistant  in  a 
young  Indian  whom  he  took  into  his  family. 

In  the  fall  of  1646  he  preached  his  first  sermon  to 
the  Indians  in  their  camp,  within  the  present  city  of 
Newton,  and  near  the  site  of  the  beautiful  church 
bearing  his  name.  No  man  had  ever  before 
preached  to  them  in  their  own  language.  It  was  de- 
livered in  the  wigwam  of  the  chief  Waban,  this 
name  signifying  "Wind."  The  text  chosen  was  suf- 
ficient to  arouse  interest.  This  address  would  be 
called  in  these  restless  days,  "tiresomely  long,"  for 
it  continued  for  one  hour  and  a  quarter.  Questions 
were  asked  at  its  conclusion  by  the  natives,  one  of 
which  was,  "Could  God  understand  prayer  in  the 
Indian  language?"  The  entire  meeting  was  three 
hours  long,  and  the  missionaries  (Eliot  and  three 
others  with  him)  were  invited  to  repeat  their  visit. 


John   Eliot  25 

The  results  of  a  second  visit  were  gratifying.  The 
work  was  continued  through  the  winter,  and  it  was  a 
remarkable  fact  that  no  bad  weather  nor  snow  storms 
interrupted  it.  No  snow  at  all  fell  during  these  win- 
ter months.  Mr.  Eliot  was  not  only  a  faithful  spirit- 
ual guide  to  the  Indians,  but  he  assisted  and  encour- 
aged them  in  temporal  matters  just  as  arduously. 
The  natives  who  had  come  under  his  training  were 
formed  into  a  community  near  Boston,  and  later  it 
was  named  Noreantum,  meaning  "rejoicing." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eliot  taught  them  various  handi- 
crafts and,  furnished  with  tools,  they  began  to  learn 
the  simple  methods  of  agriculture.  They  recon- 
structed their  wigwams  into  more  substantial  and 
comfortable  abodes  and  began  quite  a  thriving  busi- 
ness in  selling  baskets,  brooms  and  other  articles 
of  their  own  manufacture.  Mrs.  Eliot  did  her  part 
in  teaching  the  women  the  art  of  spinning,  while 
her  words  and  her  character  gave  them  a  practical 
demonstration  as  to  what  this  new  and  "higher  life" 
meant.  Law  and  order  were  maintained  by  a 
simple  form  of  administration.  The  conscientious- 
ness of  the  Indians  became,  on  some  minor  matters, 
intense,  so  much  so  that  one  of  their  number  was 
considered  a  breaker  of  the  Sabbath  because,  on  re- 
turning from  church  one  evening  and  finding  his  fire 
out,  he  had  split  some  wood  to  re-light  it. 

At  a  spot  south  of  Roxbury  there  was  another 
band  of  Indians  under  a  sachem,  who  at  various 


26  Pioneer  Missionaries 

times  came  in  contact  with  Mr.  Eliot.  The  Indian 
nature  was  exceedingly  susceptible  to  the  influence 
of  the  moment.  This  was  shown  in  an  anecdote  of 
this  same  sachem  and  his  unruly  son,  who  consid- 
ered himself  unjustly  treated  by  his  parents.  The 
missionaries  persuaded  the  father  to  confess  his 
faults;  seeing  and  hearing  this  confession  the  son 
was  brought  to  the  point  of  asking  forgiveness  of 
both  his  father  and  mother.  With  equal  readiness 
this  same  sachem  became,  on  another  occasion,  very 
angry  with  Mr.  Eliot,  fearing  that  his  power  was  to 
be  lessened  by  the  influence  of  the  missionaries.  He 
became  very  angry  at  the  proposed  plan  to  gather 
the  Praying  Indians  into  one  settlement,  and  Mr. 
Eliot  met  his  wrath  alone.  By  calmness  and  fear- 
lessness he  subdued  the  chief  so  that  he  was  ready 
to  become  a  supplicant  for  favors.  Another  chief 
was  anxious  to  have  his  people  come  under  good  in- 
fluence, so  a  tract  of  land  nearer  to  the  English  was 
petitioned  for  them.    They  secured  a  teacher  also. 

One  of  the  Indians  quaintly  expressed  to  Mr.  Eliot 
what  some  of  their  trials  were.  "On  the  one 
hand,"  he  said,  "the  other  Indians  hate  and  oppose 
us  because  we  pray  to  God ;  on  the  other,  the  English 
will  not  put  confidence  in  us,  and  suspect  that  we  do 
not  really  pray.  But  God,  who  knows  all  things, 
knows  that  we  do  pray  to  him."  Mr.  Eliot  assured 
him  of  the  confidence  of  himself  and  others.  At 
that  time  those  settlements  were  all  accessible  to 


John  Eliot  27 

Roxbury,  and  Mr.  Eliot  resolved  to  widen  his  field 
of  usefulness.  For  this  purpose  he  took  a  trip  to 
Pawtucket.  The  chief  there  was  a  famous  warrior, 
and  very  powerful.  On  the  approach  of  the  mis- 
sionary, this  bold  warrior  fled.  Another  visit  was 
made  in  the  spring,  at  the  time  of  a  great  feast.  Mr. 
Eliot  chose  for  his  text  the  words,  "From  the  rising 
of  the  sun  to  the  going  down  of  the  same,  thy  name 
shall  be  great  among  the  Indians." 

On  this  occasion  a  question,  which  has  recently 
agitated  wise  brains,  was  asked,  ''Whether  all  the 
Indians  who  had  died  hitherto  had  gone  to  hell,  and 
only  a  few  now  at  last  were  put  in  the  way  of  going 
to  heaven."  One  very  gratifying  result  of  the  service 
was  the  confession  of  the  old  sachem  of  his  belief  in 
the  Gospel;  his  two  sons  also  acknowledged  their 
trust  in  a  saving  power.  Quite  a  little  distance  from 
Roxbury  was  a  tribe  of  Indians  whose  chief  sent 
word  to  the  missionary,  begging  him  to  come  and 
teach  them.  As  a  district  was  to  be  passed  through 
where  several  murders  had  occurred,  a  sachem  liv- 
ing nearer  came  with  a  guard  of  twenty  warriors  to 
escort  and  protect  Mr.  Eliot  on  his  way  to  his  new 
scene  of  labor.  During  this  trip  he  suffered  great 
fatigue  and  exposure,  but  through  it  all  he  was  kept 
in  safety. 

His  work  was  carried  steadily  forward  amidst  op- 
position from  various  quarters.  Some  of  the  Eng- 
lish were  utterly  indifferent  to  his  work ;  others  man- 


28  Pioneer  Missionaries 

ifested  bitter  hostility.  The  larger  part  of  the  chiefs 
were  hostile  to  him,  and  some  of  the  Praying  Indians 
were  sorely  persecuted.  But  hardest  of  all  to  bear 
was  the  expressed  opinion  of  his  own  countrymen. 
viz :  "That  the  whole  scheme  was  one  to  make 
money,  and  that  the  conversion  of  the  Indians  was  a 
fable."  His  labors  subsequently  were  helped  on  by 
a  grant  of  ten  pounds  from  the  General  Court.  The 
story  of  his  heroic  efforts  for  the  welfare  of  the  In- 
dians roused  up  Christians  in  England  and  a  society 
was  formed  for  "The  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in 
New  England,"  and  a  contribution  of  money  was 
secured  for  the  work.  Oxford  and  Cambridge  uni- 
versities aided  also  by  urging  the  clergy  to  influence 
their  people  to  give  freely.  One  project  had  been 
long  in  Mr.  Eliot's  mind,  that  was  to  gather  all  the 
Praying  Indians  into  one  settlement.  A  site  for  the 
village  was  selected  on  the  Charles  River,  not  very 
far  from  Boston.  Here  six  thousand  acres  were 
chosen  for  the  use  of  the  Indians,  and  the  spot  was 
named  Natick,  meaning  "a  place  of  hills." 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1650  all  the  Praying 
Indians,  with  the  exception  of  one  settlement  that 
remained  separate,  were  formed  into  a  township, 
and  a  plan  for  the  village  was  made.  It  consisted  of 
two  streets  north  of  the  river  Charles  and  one  south. 
The  Indians  built  a  bridge  joining  the  two  sections. 
Each  household  was  given  a  lot,  and  wigwams  were 
set  up,  and  in  some  cases  houses  in  imitation  of  those 


John   Eliot  29 

of  the  white  men  were  built.  The  church  served  as  a 
schoolhouse  as  well ;  orchards  were  laid  out  and  agri- 
cultural work  was  planned. 

Their  civil  government  was  formed  on  the  basis 
of  that  laid  down  in  Exodus,  eighteenth  chapter. 
The  Indians  made  a  covenant  as  follows :  "The 
grace  of  Christ  helping  us,  we  do  give  ourselves  and 
our  children  to  God  to  be  his  people.  He  shall  rule 
over  us  in  all  our  affairs,  not  only  in  our  religion 
and  affairs  of  the  church,  but  also  in  all  our  works 
and  affairs  in  this  world."  This  closed  with  a 
prayer,  "Lord,  take  us  to  be  thy  people,  and  let  us 
take  thee  to  be  our  God." 

When  Governor  Endicott  visited  Natick  he  was 
delighted  with  the  signs  of  civilization  and  the  won- 
derfully well-informed  condition  of  the  Indians. 
He  heard  an  Indian  preach  in  a  very  satisfactory 
manner,  and  the  psalm  "lined"  by  the  dusky  school- 
master. Native  teachers  were  prepared  to  go  out 
and  teach  among  their  own  people.  Two  were  sent 
to  the  Narragansetts  in  Rhode  Island.  The  gifts 
they  took  with  them  were  accepted  by  the  chief,  but 
their  religious  efforts  were  repulsed.  The  people, 
however,  were  eager  to  hear  them  and  more  teachers 
were  demanded. 

Mr.  Eliot  through  all  the  hindrances  to  his  work 
preserved  a  spirit  of  charity,  cheerfulness  and  perse- 
verance. "He  was  ready  to  ring  a  loud  curfew  bell 
whenever  he  saw  the  fire  of  animosity."     His  habit 


3©  Pioneer  Missionaries 

was  to  set  apart  whole  days  for  prayer,  and  when 
entering  a  house  his  usual  salutation  was,  "Let  us 
pray."  As  regarded  his  own  wants  and  needs  he 
was  very  thoughtless.  An  amusing  anecdote  is  re- 
lated of  him,  when  on  being  paid  his  salary  his 
treasurer  purposely  tied  up  the  money  with  particu- 
larly hard  knots  so  that  Mr.  Eliot  would  not  be  able 
to  give  any  of  it  away  before  he  reached  home.  On 
his  way  back  he  called  on  a  poor  and  sick  family, 
and  not  being  able  to  untie  the  knots  in  the  handker- 
chief, he  handed  the  entire  precious  bundle  to  the 
mother,  saying:  "Here,  my  dear,  take  it.  I  believe 
the  Lord  designs  it  all  for  you." 

The  first  Indian  church  was  formed  at  Natick  in 
1660.  Two  councils  had  previously  been  held  at 
which  the  Indians  made  statements  of  their  faith  and 
answered  questions.  Mr.  Eliot's  greatest  work  was 
yet  to  be  performed.  In  his  leisure  moments  he  be- 
gan and  successfully  completed  a  translation  of  the 
New  and  Old  Testaments.  The  former  was  printed 
in  1 66 1,  and  the  latter  in  1663.  This  had  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  first  Bible  printed  in  America. 
Edward  Everett  thus  spoke  of  this  arduous  task : 
"The  history  of  the  Christian  Church  does  not  con- 
tain an  example  of  resolute,  untiring  successful  labor 
superior."  It  was  in  the  Mohegan  tongue,  which 
all  New  England  Indians  were  able  to  understand. 
Fifteen  hundred  copies  were  printed  and  in  1685  a 
second  edition  was  brought  out. 


John   Eliot  3 1 

This  great  achievement  was  a  noble  proof  of  the 
love  of  Mr.  Eliot  for  the  souls  of  the  Indians,  and 
was  a  task  undertaken  when  the  vigor  of  his  man- 
hood was  supposed  to  be  passed,  but  undeniably  he 
showed  a  mental  and  physical  strength  fully  equal  to 
this  effort.  Other  literary  work  he  also  did,  transla- 
ting Richard  Baxter's  books,  "Call  to  the  Uncon- 
verted" and  "The  Practice  of  Piety."  He  wrote  a 
catechism,  "Psalter,"  "Primer,"  and  "Grammar,"  in 
the  Indian  language.  In  English  he  wrote,  among 
others,  a  unique  book  entitled  "Tears  of  Repent- 
ance," dedicated  to  Oliver  Cromwell.  His  pet  project 
of  uniting  all  the  Praying  Indians  in  one  settle- 
ment did  not  prove  as  successful  as  he  wished,  and 
thirteen  other  towns  were  formed.  In  1674  the 
number  of  Praying  Indians  was  one  thousand  one 
hundred,  and  two  thousand  five  hundred  more  under 
the  charge  of  other  workers  were  inspired  to  higher 
living  by  Mr.  Eliot's  efforts. 

When  everything  seemed  most  propitious  for  the 
advancement  of  the  Indians,  the  war  with  King 
Philip  began  in  1675.  This  savage  warrior  scat- 
tered and  exterminated  hundreds  of  the  white  men 
and  devastated  the  peaceful  settlements  of  the  Pray- 
ing Indians.  The  inhabitants  of  Natick  were  exiled 
to  Deer  Island.  Mr.  Eliot  prayed  with  them  on  the 
shore  at  night,  and  sad  at  heart  saw  them  removed 
to  their  place  of  exile.  At  another  settlement,  un- 
mercifully treated  by  the  English,  they  fled  from 


32  Pioneer  Missionaries 

their  camp.  When  afterward  urged  to  return,  they 
would  not,  but  expressed  their  sorrow  in  these 
words :  "We  are  not  sorry  for  what  we  leave  be- 
hind, but  we  are  sorry  that  the  English  have  driven 
us  from  our  praying  to  God  and  from  our  teacher. 
We  did  begin  to  understand  a  little  of  praying  to 
God."  The  childlike  faith  of  the  Indian  was  under- 
mined by  the  wicked  conduct  of  many  of  the  white 
settlers  who  were  supposed  to  be  Christians.  But 
their  confidence  in  their  new  leader  was  never 
shaken,  and  he  was  able  to  write  in  1680:  "Our 
Praying  Indians  on  the  islands  and  on  the  mainland 
amount  to  some  thousands."  Six  years  later  he 
mentions  that  there  were  six  churches  of  baptized 
natives  in  New  England  and  eighteen  assemblies  of 
catechumens. 

Mr.  Eliot  was  now  over  eighty  years  old,  but  he 
kept  up  his  duties  as  pastor  of  the  church  at  Rox- 
bury  until  two  years  before  his  death.  Three  years 
before  that  event  he  lost  his  devoted  wife.  When 
some  one  made  inquiries  about  his  health,  he  said : 
"I  have  lost  everything,  my  understanding  leaves 
me,  my  memory  fails  me — my  utterance  fails — but 
I  thank  God  my  charity  holds  out  still.  I  find  that 
rather  grows  than  fails." 

On  May  20,  1690,  the  Indian's  noblest  friend 
left  them  to  enter  into  a  rest  which  no  earthly  tu- 
mults could  disturb.  His  last  words  and  his  last 
thoughts  were  for  the  Indians.     "There  is  a  dark 


John    Eliot  33 

cloud  upon  the  work  of  the  Gospel  among  them. 
The  Lord  revive  and  prosper  that  work  and  grant 
that  it  may  live  when  I  am  dead.  It  is  a  work  that  I 
have  been  doing  much  and  long  about.  But  what 
was  the  word  I  spoke  last?  I  recall  that  word  my 
doings.  Alas,  they  have  been  poor  and  small  and 
lean  doings,  and  I  will  be  the  man  who  will  throw 
the  first  stone  at  them  all.  Welcome  joy.  Come, 
Lord,  come." 

Baxter  once  said  of  Eliot :  "There  is  no  man  on 
earth  whom  I  honor  above  him."  The  work  which 
Eliot  had  so  long  and  so  earnestly  carried  forward 
was  not  suffered  to  languish.  Other  good  men  of 
self-sacrificing  spirit  labored  for  the  Indians,  and  the 
work  of  Eliot  was  sufficient  to  attract  the  public  eye, 
not  only  to  the  means  by  which  the  lives  of  the  In- 
dians had  been  reconstructed,  but  also  to  the  needs 
of  that  people  now  left  desolate  without  their  much- 
loved  leader. 


REV.    DAVID   BRAINERD 

Born  April  20,  1718. 
Died  October  9,  1747. 

The  record  of  David  Brainerd's  childhood  and 
youth  is  a  painfully  sad  one.  As  a  child  he  seems 
to  have  been  overshadowed  with  intensely  morbid 
sensibilities,  which  grew  upon  him  until  they  took 
almost  the  form  of  mania.  Some  of  his  ancestors 
were  Puritan  divines,  and  one  of  them  founded  the 
town  of  Lynn,  Mass.  His  father,  Hezekiah  Brain- 
erd,  settled  at  Haddam,  near  Hartford,  in  the  colony 
of  Connecticut,  and  here  David  was  born,  April  20, 
1718. 

By  the  death  of  both  father  and  mother  his  child- 
hood was  saddened  to  such  a  degree  that  in  after 
years  he  was  never  able  wholly  to  emerge  from  the 
deep  gloom  which  had  overcast  his  young  days. 
Added  to  this  his  constitution  was  delicate,  and  his 
temperament  of  a  deeply  desponding  character. 

His  experiences  at  the  threshold  of  life  were  such 
as  to  inspire  profound  pity,  and  then  wonder  and 
surprise  that  he  overcame  them  so  far  as  to  become 
a  useful  worker  and  reformer  among  the  Indians. 
There  was  absolutely  no  joyousness  in  his  youth; 


David  Brainerd  35 

his  duties  were  performed  as  an  act  of  penance,  and 
with  a  miserable  sort  of  pleasure  he  denied  himself 
the  smallest  and  slightest  diversion.  An  extract  or 
two  from  his  journal  gives  an  insight  into  his 
life. 

"I  was  from  my  youth  somewhat  sober  and  in- 
clined rather  to  melancholy  than  the  contrary  ex- 
treme; but  do  not  remember  anything  of  conviction 
of  sin  worthy  of  remark  till  I  was,  I  believe,  about 
seven  or  eight  years  of  age.  Then  I  became  con- 
cerned for  my  soul,  and  terrified  at  the  thoughts  of 
death,  and  was  driven  to  the  performance  of  duties, 
but  it  appeared  a  melancholy  business,  that  de- 
stroyed my  eagerness  for  play." 

In  March,  1732,  he  suffered  the  loss  of  his  mother, 
and  a  little  more  than  a  year  later  he  went  to  East 
Haddam,  where  he  remained  four  years.  From  there 
he  went  to  work  on  his  farm  at  Durham,  and  when 
about  twenty  years  old  he  began  to  apply  himself  to 
study.  He  set  a  strict  watch  over  his  thoughts, 
words  and  actions,  as  the  desire  to  become  a  minister 
of  the  Gospel  was  growing  upon  him.  In  the  spring 
of  1738  he  went  to  live  with  a  Rev.  Mr.  Fiske  at 
Haddam,  and  his  friend  urged  him  to  withdraw 
from  all  society.  Sunday  evenings  he  joined  in 
prayer-meetings  with  other  young  men,  and  it  was 
his  custom  to  commit  to  memory  the  sermon  heard 
in  the  morning  and  repeat  it  aloud  to  himself,  some- 
times at  midnight.     After  the  minister's  death  he 


36  Pioneer  Missionaries 

studied  with  his  brother,  but  found  Httle  peace  of 
mind,  suffering  from  constant  unrest  lest  he  was 
not  among  the  elect.  After  a  time  of  this  mental 
distress  he  seemed  to  see  God  revealed  in  a  new 
light,  and  he  took  cheer  and  gained  peace  of  mind 
for  a  season.  But  all  through  his  life  he  was  beset 
with  depression  of  spirits,  and  it  seems  a  miracle  that 
he  did  not  utterly  lose  his  balance  of  mind.  He  en- 
tered Yale  College  with  many  misgivings  lest  his 
good  resolutions  should  be  shaken  by  the  influence 
of  the  students.  Unfortunately  he  was  taken  very 
ill  with  an  attack  of  measles  just  after  he  had  gotten 
well  started  in  his  college  course. 

The  next  event  of  interest  was  a  spiritual  awaken- 
ing at  Yale,  and  Brainerd  was  aroused  to  a  high 
pitch  of  nervous  enthusiasm.  Unhappily  he  ex- 
pressed his  opinion  of  one  of  his  tutors  there  very 
frankly  and  not  at  all  in  flattering  terms.  One  of 
his  friends  asked  him  what  he  thought  of  a  certain 
instructor,  and  Brainerd  incautiously  replied :  "He 
has  no  more  grace  than  his  chair."  This  unlucky 
remark  caused  great  wrath  among  the  faculty,  and 
Brainerd  was  ordered  to  make  a  public  confession 
and  humble  himself  before  the  college.  This  he  de- 
clined to  do,  consequently  he  was  expelled.  This 
was  a  blow  from  which  he  never  recovered.  He 
stood  high  in  his  class  and  would  have  won  high 
honors  but  for  this  sad  turn  of  events.  Long  after- 
ward he  was  ready  to  offer  apologies,  but  the  col- 


David  Brainerd  37 

lege  would  not  accept  nor  withdraw  his  expulsion. 
There  was  nothing  left  for  him  to  do  but  to  con- 
tinue his  studies  alone  at  the  home  of  a  clergyman 
in  the  town  of  Ripton.  Extracts  from  his  journal 
show  him  ready  to  commence  his  work  among  the 
heathen  whenever  the  way  should  be  opened  for  it. 
Shortly  afterward  he  was  licensed  to  preach  and 
not  many  months  later  he  received  a  summons  to 
New  York,  regarding  a  mission  which  was  soon  to 
open  among  the  Indians.  After  reading  the  mes- 
sage to  several  friends,  and  desiring  their  prayers 
and  advice,  he  decided  to  accept  the  invitation  and 
go  to  New  York,  Having  been  examined  by  the 
correspondents  from  New  York,  New  Jersey  and 
Pennsylvania  of  the  Honorable  Society  in  Scotland 
for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge,  he  was  pro- 
nounced fit  to  take  up  work  among  the  Indians. 
Such  was  his  humble  opinion  of  himself  that  he  was 
just  able  to  preach  before  these  grave  ministers.  He 
then  sold  his  property,  gave  the  proceeds  toward 
the  support  of  a  young  man  who  expected  to  become 
a  minister,  preached  a  farewell  sermon  at  the  house 
of  an  aged  friend,  bade  adieu  to  all  his  friends,  never 
expecting  to  see  them  again,  and  set  out  for  Long 
Island. 

March  9,  1743,  he  wrote  in  his  diary  as  follows: 
"Endeavored  to  commit  myself  and  all  my  concerns 
to  God.  Rode  sixty  miles  to  Manturk  and  had  some 
inward  sweetness  on  the  road,  but  something  of  flat- 


38  Pioneer  Missionaries 

ness  and  deadness  after  I  came  there  and  had  seen 
the  Indians.  I  withdrew  and  endeavored  to  pray, 
but  found  myself  awfully  deserted  and  left,  and  had 
an  afflicting  sense  of  my  vileness  and  meanness. 
However,  I  went  and  preached  from  Isaiah  53 :  10, 
'Yet  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  bruise  him.'  Had  some 
assistance,  and  I  trust  something  of  the  Divine  pres- 
ence was  amongst  us.  In  the  evening  I  again 
prayed  and  exhorted  among  them,  after  having  had 
a  season  alone,  wherein  I  was  so  pressed  with  the 
blackness  of  my  nature  that  I  thought  it  was  not  fit 
for  me  to  speak  so  much  as  to  the  Indians." 

The  very  last  instructions  of  the  Society  directed 
him  to  proceed  to  a  section  of  the  province  of  New 
York,  to  a  place  called  Kannaumeck  in  the  dense 
woods  between  Albany  and  Stockbridge.  This  was 
thickly  settled  by  Indians,  and  Brainerd  reached 
there  April  i,  1743,  and  found  himself  alone  and 
very  desolate,  without  a  human  being  to  speak  to 
who  would  sympathize  with  him,  and  only  a  hovel 
as  a  shelter.  "My  circumstances  are  such,"  he 
wrote,  "that  I  have  no  comforts  of  any  kind  but 
what  I  have  in  God.  I  live  in  the  most  lonely  wil- 
derness, having  but  one  single  person  to  converse 
with  that  can  speak  English ;  most  of  the  talk  I  hear 
is  either  Highland  Scotch  or  Indian.  I  have  no 
fellow-Christian  to  whom  I  might  unbosom  myself, 
or  lay  open  my  spiritual  sorrows;  with  whom  I 
might  take  sweet   counsel   in   conversation   about 


David  Brainerd  39 

heavenly  things  and  join  in  social  prayer.  I  live 
poorly  with  regard  to  the  comforts  of  this  life ;  most 
of  my  diet  consists  of  boiled  corn,  pastry,  pudding, 
etc.  I  sleep  on  a  bundle  of  straw ;  my  labor  is  hard 
and  extremely  difficult  and  I  have  little  appearance 
of  success  to  comfort  me.  The  Indians  have  no 
land  to  live  on  but  what  the  Dutch  people  lay  claim 
to,  and  these  threaten  to  drive  them  off.  They  have 
no  regard  to  the  souls  of  the  poor  Indians,  and  by 
what  I  can  learn,  they  hate  me  because  I  came  to 
preach  to  them.  But  what  makes  all  my  difficulties 
grievous  to  be  borne  is  that  God  hides  his  face  from 
me." 

It  was  hard  for  him  to  master  the  Indian 
language,  and  to  obtain  instruction  he  frequently 
rode  twenty  miles  to  Stockbridge  to  visit  a  mission- 
ary there,  a  Mr.  Sergeant,  who  willingly  helped  him. 
After  a  year's  labor  David  Brainerd  persuaded  the 
Indians  under  his  charge  to  remove  to  Stockbridge 
because  he  thought  Mr.  Sergeant  was  better  fitted 
to  work  for  them ;  then  he  set  out  to  meet  the  com- 
missioners of  the  Society  in  New  Jersey  and  told 
them  he  was  ready  for  work  elsewhere.  He  was  at 
once  sent  to  the  Indians  encamped  on  the  Forks  of 
the  Delaware.  Just  about  the  time  came  several  in- 
vitations to  him  to  become  pastor  of  New  England 
churches.  This  was  somewhat  of  a  temptation,  but 
he  says :  "Resolved  to  go  on  then  with  the  Indians, 
if  Divine  Providence  permitted,  although  I  had  be- 


40  Pioneer  Missionaries 

fore  felt  some  inclination  to  go  to  East  Hampton, 
where  I  was  educated  to  go."  His  journey  through 
the  wilderness  was  begun  in  a  heavy  rain-storm. 
Crossing  the  Hudson  River,  he  traveled  one  hun- 
dred miles  beyond,  and  in  May,  1744,  he  reached  a 
small  Dutch  and  Irish  settlement  a  dozen  miles  from 
the  Indian  encampment.  He  was  utterly  exhausted 
by  the  journey  and  his  heart  sunk  within  him  at  the 
thought  of  his  responsibilities.  However,  he  was 
slightly  cheered  from  the  fact  that  the  natives  were 
willing  to  hear  him,  but  he  was  terribly  shocked  in 
witnessing  some  of  their  funeral  rites.  Another 
long  journey  was  in  prospect,  for  orders  came  to 
him  to  come  to  New  Jersey  to  be  ordained.  After 
all  this  strain  of  hard  travel  and  excitement  he  fell 
sick  and  was  obliged  to  delay  his  return  to  the  Del- 
aware. The  kindness  of  friends  to  him  in  his  illness 
astonished  him,  for  he  did  not  think  himself  worthy 
of  any  favor  from  God  or  man.  When  again  able 
to  begin  work  he  was  overshadowed  with  gloom. 
"To  the  eye  of  reason,"  he  says,  "everything  that 
respects  the  conversion  of  the  heathen  is  as  dark  as 
midnight." 

The  obstacles  in  his  way  were  many.  His  poor 
health,  his  low  spirits  and  especially  the  lack  of  con- 
fidence the  Indians  had  in  the  religious  life  of  the 
white  man,  made  it  extremely  difficult  for  Brainerd 
to  win  their  trust.  He  took  great  pains  to  intercede 
with  the  white  settlers  for  more  land,  where  the 


David  Brainerd  41 

Indians  might  live  in  peace.  Their  horrible  rites 
at  feasts  sometimes  overwhelmed  him  with  horror, 
and  on  one  of  these  occasions,  after  a  mighty  wrest- 
ling in  prayer  he  went  into  the  midst  of  the  Indians 
and  persuaded  them  to  cease  their  wild  antics  and 
to  gather  about  him  and  listen  to  the  Word  of  the 
Lord.  This  was  followed  by  great  depression  on 
Brainerd's  part,  and  an  illness  of  several  weeks, 
from  which  he  recovered  sufficiently  to  undertake  a 
journey  of  four  hundred  and  twenty  miles.  This 
trip  so  far  restored  him  that  he  was  able  to  under- 
take another  one  with  a  friend  to  visit  the  Indians 
at  Susquehanna.  An  accident  occurred  on  the 
edge  of  a  precipice,  Brainerd's  horse  threw  him  and 
the  animal,  injuring  himself  on  the  rocks,  had  to  be 
killed.  On  arriving  at  the  encampment  they  were 
cordially  received  by  the  Indians  and  a  great  hunt- 
ing expedition  was  put  off  at  Brainerd's  request  so 
that  he  might  have  more  time  to  teach  them. 

They  argued  with  him  and  raised  objections  to 
Christianity,  on  the  ground  of  the  bad  examples  set 
by  so-called  Christians.  They  had  taught  the 
natives  much  evil  and  inflamed  them  with  the  love 
of  drink.  The  influential  ones  among  the  Indians 
could  not  reconcile  these  things  with  Brainerd's 
teachings.  Their  dread  of  being  enslaved  by  the 
white  men  was  very  great.  Besides,  their  attach- 
ment to  their  own  forms  of  religion  was  another 
obstacle  in  the  way.     Brainerd's  health  constantly 


42  Pioneer  Missionaries 

menaced  him.  He  writes :  "I  long  to  do  much  in 
a  little  time,  and  if  it  might  be  the  Lord's  will  to 
finish  my  work  speedily  in  this  tiresome  world.  I 
am  sure  I  do  not  desire  to  live  for  anything  in  this 
world,  and  through  grace  I  am  not  afraid  to  look  the 
King  of  Terrors  in  the  face." 

Brainerd  used  an  interpreter,  his  knowledge  of 
the  language  not  being  sufficient  for  his  work.  This 
man,  after  a  profession  of  faith,  he  baptized  in  May, 
1745.  Then  they  set  out  on  a  journey  of  over  one 
hundred  miles  to  the  Susquehanna.  This  appears 
to  have  been  Brainerd' s  second  visit  to  this  region. 
Storms  overtook  them,  their  horses  ate  a  poisonous 
plant,  and  the  only  shelter  to  be  found  was  a  little 
hut  of  bark.  They  passed  through  some  seven  or 
eight  different  tribes,  all  of  whom  were  hostile  to 
Christianity,  and  only  a  few  were  found  willing  to 
listen  to  Brainerd.  Some  Indians  who  had  been  at 
his  first  station  recognized  him  with  pleasure.  Be- 
fore the  return,  or  by  the  time  the  Forks  of  the  Del- 
aware were  again  reached,  a  distance  of  over  three 
hundred  miles  had  been  traveled  by  Brainerd  and 
his  companion. 

A  little  house  for  shelter  had  to  be  built  in  three 
localities  for  the  benefit  of  the  missionary,  his  flock 
were  so  scattered.  This  interpreter  and  his  wife 
were  the  first  Indians  baptized  by  Brainerd. 

The  Indians  were  like  children  needing  constant 
care   and   watchful   guidance.     Brainerd   gave   his 


David  Brainerd  43 

opinions  of  the  Indian  nature,  which  have  been  pre- 
served. Some  are  as  follows :  "The  Indians  are  a 
poor  and  indigent  people;  they  have  been  brought 
up  in  idleness  and  know  little  about  cultivating  land, 
or  indeed,  of  engaging  vigorously  in  any  other  busi- 
ness. So  that  I  am  obliged  to  instruct  them  in,  as 
well  as  press  them  to,  the  performance  of  their  work, 
and  to  have  the  oversight  of  all  their  secular  busi- 
ness. They  have  little  or  no  ambition  or  resolution. 
Not  one  in  a  thousand  of  them  has  the  spirit  of  a 
man.  The  concern  I  have  had  for  the  settling  of 
these  Indians  in  New  Jersey  in  a  compact  form,  in 
order  to  their  being  a  Christian  congregation,  in  the 
capacity  of  enjoying  the  means  of  grace,  the  care 
of  managing  their  worldly  business  in  order  to  this 
end,  and  to  their  having  a  comfortable  livelihood, 
has  been  more  pressing  to  my  mind,  and  cost  me 
more  labor  and  fatigue  for  several  months  past  than 
all  my  other  work  among  them." 

David  Brainerd  now  made  a  small  Indian  town 
his  headquarters  and  from  there  he  visited  the 
numerous  tribes  living  in  that  region.  Some  signs 
of  success  now  cheered  him;  the  natives  began  to 
show  signs  of  being  deeply  impressed  with  his  teach- 
ings and  many  with  tears  sought  for  grace.  A  re- 
vival began  in  Susquehanna.  The  whole  Indian 
population  suddenly  felt  "a.  most  surprising  con- 
cern." Multitudes  came  to  hear  the  truth.  Brain- 
erd baptized  a  number  of  these  native  converts,  amid 


44  Pioneer  Missionaries 

a  large  assembly.  After  it  had  dispersed  he  gave 
these  converts  counsel  as  to  their  future  conduct, 
and  they  took  hold  of  each  other's  hands  as  a  sign  of 
the  new  covenant  of  Christian  brotherhood  into 
which  they  had  entered.  Brainerd  visited  the  king 
of  the  Delaware  Indians  and  he  tried  to  converse 
with  the  chiefs  when  they  were  sober.  In  visiting 
the  Indians  at  Invocante  Islands  he  had  hard  work 
either  to  get  them  together  to  listen  to  him,  or  make 
himself  understood,  as  he  then  had  no  interpreter 
but  a  pagan.  One  priest  whom  he  met  seemed 
struggling  diligently  to  find  the  true  God.  On  his 
return  to  his  station  he  writes :  "To  be  with  those 
seemed  like  being  banished  from  God  and  all  his 
people;  to  be  with  these,  like  being  admitted  into  his 
family  and  the  enjoyment  of  his  Divine  presence." 
The  first  congregation  that  listened  to  Brainerd 
consisted  of  four  women  and  a  few  children,  but  ere 
long  crowds  gathered  to  ask,  "What  must  I  do  to  be 
saved?"  The  love  for  drink  became  greatly  less- 
ened among  the  natives  and  they  began  to  pay  their 
debts  and  show  more  kindly  feeling  toward  one  an- 
other. During  this  period  of  work  Brainerd  trav- 
eled over  three  thousand  miles.  He  was  especially 
eager  to  secure  funds  for  a  school  in  which  to  gather 
the  children.  During  all  this  time  he  was  misrep- 
resented by  the  white  men  and  the  Indians,  and  was 
constantly  exposed  to  danger.  Several  visits  were 
made  to  the  representatives  of  the  Society  at  Eliza- 


David  Brainerd  45 

bethtown,  to  talk  over  with  them  his  plans  for  the 
enlargement  of  the  work. 

Brainerd  had  a  new  trial  in  the  illness  of  his 
schoolmaster,  of  whom  he  took  the  entire  care, 
greatly  impairing  his  health  in  consequence  thereof. 
On  the  recovery  of  the  school-teacher  about  thirty 
children  were  under  instruction  and  fifteen  married 
people  came  to  be  taught  in  the  evenings.  Brainerd 
carried  out  a  new  plan  of  taking  with  him  six  of  his 
converts  on  his  missionary  tours  and  found  them 
very  helpful.  He  never  found  himself  in  danger 
from  the  Indians  when  traveling  alone,  because  he 
was  so  thoroughly  their  friend  and  they  knew  it. 
After  setting  apart  a  whole  day  for  fasting  and 
prayer,  Brainerd  brought  his  converts  together  for 
the  ordinance  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  This  solemn 
transaction  was  attended  with  much  gravity  and  seri- 
ousness and  at  the  same  time  with  utmost  readiness, 
freedom  and  cheerfulness,  and  a  religious  union  and 
harmony  of  soul  seemed  to  crown  the  whole 
solemnity. 

In  May,  1747,  David  Brainerd  made  a  visit  to 
Northampton,  and  while  at  the  home  of  his  friend, 
Jonathan  Edwards,  a  physician  was  called  in  to  see 
him  and  pronounced  him  a  confirmed  consumptive, 
with  no  hope  of  recovery.  He  was  advised  to  ride 
as  much  as  possible ;  this  he  did,  visiting  place  after 
place.  In  the  effort  he  suffered  much.  "There  is 
no  rest  but  in  God;  fatigues  of  body  and  anxieties 


46  Pioneer  Missionaries 

of  mind  attend  us  both  in  town  and  country;  no 
place  is  exempted."  We  have  no  record  that  Brain- 
erd  ever  went  among  the  Indians  after  his  case  was 
pronounced  hopeless. 

While  in  Elizabethtown  he  was  very  sick,  after 
which  he  was  able  to  reach  Boston  in  time  to  meet 
members  of  the  Society  who  were  examining  into 
the  work.  A  legacy  having  been  left  the  Society, 
a  sum  of  money  was  appropriated  to  support  two 
new  missionaries,  who  were  to  go  and  work  among 
the  Indians  of  the  six  nations.  These  two  men 
Brainerd  saw  and  advised  them  in  regard  to  meth- 
ods of  work.  While  at  Boston  he  was  very  ill,  yet 
able  to  write  to  his  two  brothers,  one  of  whom  was 
to  succeed  him  in  the  work  among  the  Indians;  ac- 
tually commenced  his  labors  before  the  death  of 
David.  Many  ministers  and  others  visited  him,  and 
many  were  the  lessons  of  patience  taught  by  the 
sight  of  his  young  life  about  to  close  after  such  years 
of  toil  for  his  Master.  He  so  far  rallied  as  to  take 
a  week's  journey  to  Northampton,  riding  sixteen 
miles  a  day.  He  was  hospitably  received  at  the  home 
of  Jonathan  Edwards,  and  Mr.  Edwards'  daughter 
nursed  him  for  nineteen  weeks.  He  was  fortunately 
persuaded  not  to  destroy  his  journals  and  letters. 
August  16,  1747,  he  attended  church  for  the  last 
time.  His  brother  John,  who  had  taken  up  his  work 
among  the  Indians,  visited  him  and  brought  him 
good  news  of  his  people,  besides  many  manuscripts 


David  Brainerd  47 

and  his  diary  which  had  been  left  behind.  He  be- 
came greatly  attached  to  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Ed- 
wards, and  his  farewell  to  her  was  very  affecting. 
She,  too,  died  the  following  February,  in  her  eight- 
eenth year.  On  Friday,  October  9,  1747,  David 
Brainerd  closed  his  earthly  career,  leaving  behind 
him  a  spotless  record  of  a  life  spent  in  the  service  of 
Christ. 

His  life  and  work  emphasize  the  truth  of  the 
words  written  by  another,  that,  "It  is  happily  pos- 
sible for  a  white  man  to  have  a  heart  full  of  Christ- 
like affection  for  his  red  brother,  who,  on  his  part, 
is  not  slow  in  reciprocating  the  fellowship  of  a  com- 
mon salvation." 


REV.  HENRY   MARTYN,  A.B.,  B.D. 

Born  February  i8,  1781. 
Died   October    16,    1812. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  February 
18,  1 78 1,  in  the  town  of  Truro,  Cornwall  County, 
England.  His  parents  were  of  humble  life,  but  had 
high  ambitions  for  their  son.  He  was  not  a  strong 
nor  precocious  child,  but  a  good-natured,  plain  little 
fellow,  shy  and  unobtrusive.  At  seven  years  of  age 
he  was  sent  to  one  of  the  best  schools  in  Cornwall, 
and  although  he  did  not  appear  to  study  hard  he  al- 
ways did  himself  credit.  One  of  his  chief  attrac- 
tions was  a  loving,  sunny  temperament.  At  four- 
teen he  became  a  candidate  for  a  scholarship  at 
Corpus  Christi  College,  Oxford,  but  failed  to  se- 
cure it.  In  after  life  he  was  glad  that  this  venture 
did  not  prove  successful,  for  being  so  young  then 
he  might  easily  have  yielded  to  the  temptations  of 
college  life.  Two  more  years  at  school  were  fol- 
lowed by  a  highly  successful  career  at  St.  John's 
College,  Cambridge.  Here  he  applied  himself  as- 
siduously to  his  work  and  gained  an  enviable  stand- 
ing in  the  examinations.  One  of  his  great  desires 
was  to  gratify  his  father's  ambitions  for  him.    An- 


HENKV  .MAKTVN 


Henry  Martyn  49 

other  impetus  to  work  was  the  influence  of  a  college 
friend,  who,  through  his  school-days  as  well,  had 
been  his  champion  and  adviser. 

Henry  Martyn  was  self-depreciating,  and  at  times 
given  to  fits  of  anger  of  which  he  was  always  heartily 
ashamed  afterward.  As  yet  he  had  not  become  a 
Christian.  This  particular  college  friend  had,  he 
says,  "attempted  to  persuade  me  that  I  ought  to  at- 
tend to  reading,  not  for  the  praise  of  men,  but  for  the 
glory  of  God.  This  seemed  strange  to  me  but  reason- 
able. I  resolved,  therefore,  to  maintain  this  opinion 
thenceforth,  but  never  designed,  that  I  can  remem- 
ber, that  it  should  afifect  my  conduct."  On  a  visit 
to  his  home  he  regrets  deeply  that  his  conduct  was 
not  dutiful  to  his  dear  father,  whom  he  lost  a  short 
time  afterward.  This  sorrow  led  him  to  his  Bible 
and  he  began  to  appreciate  the  solicitude  of  his  sister 
for  his  salvation. 

His  college  honors  were  most  gratifying  to  his 
friends,  but  he  found  no  complete  happiness  in  them. 
The  University  bestowed  its  highest  rewards  on 
him,  that  of  being  appointed  senior  wrangler  of  his 
year.  But  his  mind  was  not  at  rest  until  he  came 
under  the  influence  of  a  certain  minister.  Rev. 
Charles  Simeon.  Under  his  preaching  and  personal 
care  he  decided  to  become  a  Christian  and  devote  his 
entire  life  to  the  service  of  God.  He  gave  up  his 
previous  desire  to  be  a  lawyer,  and  in  a  letter  to  his 
sister  he  acknowledges  that  she  was  the  means  of 


50  Pioneer  Missionaries 

bringing  him  to  a  serious  condition  of  mind  and  a 
deep  interest  in  nobler,  more  worthy  aims  in  life. 

Reading  the  memoir  of  David  Brainerd  and 
hearing  a  sermon  preached  by  Rev.  Mr.  Simeon,  in 
behalf  of  missions,  very  deeply  impressed  Henry 
Mart}^  with  the  desire  to  work  in  foreign  fields. 
One  of  his  vacations  he  spent  in  a  tour  among  the 
Welsh  Mountains,  giving  up  a  great  deal  of  time 
to  thought  and  study  of  the  Bible.  He  offered  him- 
self to  the  Committee  of  the  Church  Missionary  So- 
ciety for  Africa  and  the  East,  but  time  showed  that 
he  was  not  to  be  sent  out  by  this  means. 

Henry  Kirke  White,  a  young  man  of  rare  abili- 
ties, came  to  St.  John's  College,  and  Martyn  and  he 
formed  a  friendship  most  congenial,  which  was, 
however,  cut  short  by  the  early  death  of  the  young 
poet. 

In  October  of  1803,  Henry  Martyn  was  ordained 
deacon  in  the  Church  of  England,  in  Ely  Cathedral. 
He  became  curate  to  Mr.  Simeon  in  Holy  Trinity 
Church,  Cambridge,  and  also  had  the  care  of  the 
parish  of  Lolworth,  near  by.  The  young  preacher 
was  very  much  impressed  by  the  admonitory  advice 
of  an  old  man  who  came  up  to  him  at  the  close  of  a 
service  and  exhorted  him  "to  show  his  hearers  that 
they  were  perishing  sinners ;  to  be  much  engaged  in 
prayer,  and  to  labor  after  an  entire  consecration  of 
himself  to  Christ." 

The  opening  of  1804  brought  disaster  to  Martyn 


Henry  Martyn  51 

and  the  sisters  dependent  upon  him.  This  came  to 
them  in  the  loss  of  their  small  patrimony.  He  was 
at  once  in  a  state  of  indecision  as  to  what  was  the 
best  course  to  pursue.  By  consulting  his  friends  at 
London,  he  succeeded  with  their  aid  in  securing  a 
position  as  Chaplain  to  the  troops  in  the  East.  The 
East  India  Company  gave  him  this  appointment,  but 
his  departure  was  somewhat  delayed,  as  he  was 
obliged  to  wait  until  he  was  twenty-four  years  old 
before  he  could  be  ordained  priest.  Some  time  was 
spent  in  London  in  preparation  for  his  departure, 
but  in  due  time  he  was  ordained  priest  at  the  chapel 
of  St.  James. 

Martyn  was  at  no  time  an  eloquent  speaker  but 
was  pre-eminently  earnest  in  manner.  The  chapel  of 
St,  John,  Bedford  Row,  can  still  be  seen,  where  he 
preached  several  times  before  leaving  for  new  and 
untried  scenes. 

The  study  of  Hindustani  occupied  much  of  his 
time  in  London,  and  a  source  of  comfort  was  found 
in  the  friendship  of  two  preachers  of  eminence,  Mr. 
Cecil  and  Dr.  Newton.  On  one  occasion,  when  the 
autograph  letter  of  Schwartz  was  shown  to  him  by 
one  of  these  friends,  Martyn  was  overcome  with  a 
sense  of  humiliation,  and  at  the  time  he  first  caught 
sight  of  the  East  India  ship  that  was  to  carry  him 
far  away  from  home  and  friends,  his  feelings  of 
mingled  joy  and  apprehension  almost  overwhelmed 
him.    His  nervous  system  was  in  a  very  low  condi- 


52  Pioneer  Missionaries 

tion,  and  while  on  the  trip  from  London  to  Ports- 
mouth he  was  attacked  with  convulsions.  At  the 
time  of  parting  with  friends  a  gift  of  a  silver  com- 
pass from  Mr.  Simeon  and  his  people  was  especially 
appreciated. 

In  his  letter  of  thanks  to  them,  he  expresses  him- 
self thus:  "Remember  me  sometimes  at  your  social 
meetings,  and  particularly  at  that  which  you  hold  on 
the  Sabbath  morning.  Pray  not  only  for  my  soul — 
that  I  may  be  kept  faithful  unto  death — but  also 
especially  for  the  souls  of  the  poor  heathen. 
Whether  I  live  or  die,  let  Christ  be  magnified  by 
the  ingathering  of  multitudes  to  himself.  I  have 
many  trials  awaiting  me  and  so  have  you,  but  that 
covenant  of  grace  in  which  we  are  interested  provides 
for  the  weakest  and  secures  our  everlasting  welfare." 

The  vessel  stopped  at  Falmouth,  and  this  gave 
Henry  Martyn  an  opportunity  to  see  for  the  last  time 
a  young  lady  to  whom  he  was  very  much  attached. 
Sometime  after  reaching  India  he  wrote,  offering 
himself  to  her.  But  she,  from  conscientious  motives, 
refused  to  marry  him,  though  blighting  her  own  and 
his  happiness  for  life  by  doing  so.  It  seems  she  had 
previously  been  engaged  to  another  gentleman,  but 
the  engagement  having  been  broken,  he  had  married 
another  person ;  notwithstanding,  she  considered  her- 
self bound  to  him.  Her  mother  was  not  favorable  to 
the  idea  of  her  daughter's  accepting  Martyn,  so  the 
opportunity  of  her  life  was  lost.    Their  correspond- 


Henry  Martyn  53 

ence  continued,  but  it  was  little  comfort  to  the  young 
missionary.  On  board  ship  Martyn  talked,  preached 
and  prayed  with  the  soldiers  and  many  others,  with 
little  or  no  apparent  results. 

At  San  Salvador,  where  there  was  a  delay  for 
some  time,  our  traveler  made  friends  with  an  inter- 
esting family,  who  gave  him  a  cordial  welcome  to 
their  house.  The  son  of  the  household  had  been  edu- 
cated at  a  Portuguese  university,  and  as  soon  as  it 
was  learned  that  Martyn  was  from  Cambridge  he 
was  shown  unusual  hospitality.  He  visited  some 
Franciscan  monks  and  argued  with  them  in  matters 
of  faith  in  the  cloisters  of  the  monastery.  Then  he 
was  conducted  into  a  cell,  where  the  dispute  was  con- 
tinued. He  was  surrounded  by  a  number  of  the 
fathers;  the  conversation  was  carried  on  in  Latin; 
some  of  them  became  angry,  others  were  simply  jest- 
ing. As  evening  came  on,  Martyn  felt  some  appre- 
hension, but  he  was  politely  and  safely  conducted  to 
the  entrance  and  given  a  courteous  adieu.  His  ex- 
periences at  San  Salvador  had  been  so  pleasant,  that 
it  was  with  sorrow  that  he  left  his  newly  made 
friends. 

On  his  return  in  the  boat  to  the  ship  he  was  sorely 
tried  by  the  songs  of  the  boatmen,  all  of  which  were 
in  praise  of  the  false  prophet.  He  talked  seriously 
with  a  companion,  and  all  the  satisfaction  he  received 
was,  "What  more  could  be  necessary  than  simply  to 
tell  mankind  that  they  must  be  sober  and  honest." 


54  Pioneer  Missionaries 

The  young  missionary  felt  thoroughly  discouraged 
and  says :  "I  never  felt  so  strongly  what  a  nothing 
I  am.  All  my  clear  arguments  are  good  for  nothing ; 
unless  the  Lord  stretch  out  his  hand,  I  speak  to 
stones." 

When  the  Cape  was  reached  the  soldiers  immedi- 
ately began  fighting  with  the  Dutch,  and  all  of  Mar- 
tyn's  time  was  occupied  in  ministering  to  the 
wounded  and  dying.  His  sensitive  nature  shrank 
with  horror  from  the  manifestations  of  exultation  on 
the  victors'  part. 

India  was  reached  on  April  22,  1806,  and  he  found 
that  his  advent  was  in  direct  answer  to  prayer.  Revs. 
David  Brown,  Carey  and  Ward  welcomed  him.  The 
position  of  all  missionaries  in  India  was  anything  but 
comfortable  at  this  period.  Hostility  and  opposition 
awaited  them  on  all  sides.  Especially  did  Martyn 
stand  in  a  peculiar  position  as  representing  the 
evangelicalism  of  Charles  Simeon.  Rev.  Mr.  Brown 
became  his  warm  friend.  He  had  a  home  some  miles 
from  Calcutta  and  in  his  grounds  was  a  pagoda, 
which  he  offered  to  Martyn  as  a  shelter  and  study. 
The  latter  says :  "Notwithstanding  the  vicissitudes  of 
life,  who  could  have  guessed  a  few  years  ago  that 
I  should  have  at  last  found  a  house  in  an  Indian 
pagoda."  Here  he  carried  on  his  work  of  transla- 
tion, for  he  determined  that  the  Scriptures  should  be 
put  into  the  language  of  the  natives.  He  had  been 
commissioned  to  preach  to  the  English  and  not  to 


Henry  Martyn  ^^ 

the  natives,  but  his  heart  was  full  of  love  and  sympa- 
thy for  them.  He  had  once  said :  "To  be  prevented 
from  going  to  the  heathen  would  almost  break  my 
heart." 

His  study  of  Hindustani  was  most  patiently  and 
diligently  carried  on  with  the  help  of  a  Brahmin. 
While  taking  a  walk  one  day,  he  vainly  attempted  to 
rescue  a  young  woman  from  a  burning  pyre,  where 
she  was  sacrificing  her  life  according  to  the  hor- 
rible rite  of  Suttee  (widows  dying  with  their  hus- 
bands). 

An  attack  of  fever  seized  Martyn  and  reduced  his 
naturally  frail  constitution  so  much  that  he  seemed 
to  be  on  the  verge  of  the  grave.  He  was  expected 
to  preach  at  the  mission  church  and  at  the  New 
Church,  and  his  belief  in  justification  by  faith  and 
his  spirituality  instantly  created  opposition  and  pro- 
test. 

On  the  eve  of  his  departure  for  Dinagepore,  a  mili- 
tary station  some  distance  up  the  Ganges,  Martyn, 
with  some  of  his  friends,  gathered  in  the  pagoda  in 
Mr.  Brown's  gardens,  and  again  he  consecrated  him- 
self to  his  work.  Two  new  missionaries,  Corrie  and 
Parsons,  together  with  Mr.  Brown  and  Dr.  Marsh- 
man,  accompanied  him  a  short  distance  up  the  river, 
and  after  another  service  in  the  small  cabin  of  the 
boat,  Henry  Martyn  was  left  alone  to  pursue  his  way 
among  wood  scenes  and  an  idolatrous  people.  His 
moonshee,  with  whom  he  immediately  began  the  work 


56  Pioneer  Missionaries 

of  translating  the  Scriptures,  was  quite  ready  during 
a  fierce  storm  to  hope  that  God  would  protect  them, 
but  as  soon  as  all  danger  was  passed  he  resumed  his 
spirit  of  perfect  indifference.  Martyn  followed  the 
plan  of  leaving  the  boat  every  morning  and  going  on 
shore  to  shoot  game  for  his  meals,  as  well  as  to  dis- 
tribute tracts  among  the  natives.  Then  the  remain- 
der of  his  day  was  spent  in  careful  work  with  the 
moonshee  in  translating. 

His  attempts  to  approach  the  people  were  not  very 
successful,  for  women  and  children  fled  from  him 
and  the  men  were  entirely  indifferent.  One  day  he 
went  into  an  idol  house  and  talked  with  a  Brahmin, 
who  became  sufficiently  interested  to  ask,  "Is  idol 
worship  true  or  false?"  An  accident  happened  one 
day  which,  fortunately,  did  not  prove  disastrous. 
The  tow-rope  breaking,  the  heavy  old  boat  went 
swinging  down  the  river  at  the  rate  of  seven  miles 
an  hour,  finally  running  aground,  so  that  Martyn  was 
able  to  get  ashore.  Here  he  spent  a  few  hours  alone 
in  prayer  and  meditation.  On  arriving  at  Berham- 
pore,  the  first  military  station,  he  visited  a  hospital, 
where  he  met  a  surgeon  who  proved  to  be  a  former 
school-fellow  and  townsman.  Martyn  did  not  al- 
ways show  tact  in  approaching  others  on  the  subject 
in  which  he  felt  so  much  interest.  For  instance, 
wishing  to  preach  to  the  soldiers  at  the  hospital,  he 
went  there  one  morning  before  any  of  the  patients 
were  up  and  went  away  greatly  disappointed,  because 


Henry  Martyn  ^y 

they  did  not  arouse  themselves  and  assemble  to  hear 
him  preach.  This  method  of  procedure  made  some 
sneer  and  others  laugh.  His  moonshee  disputed  with 
him  the  authenticity  of  the  Bible,  saying,  "How  can 
you  prove  this  Book  (putting  his  hand  on  the 
Gospels)  to  be  the  Word  of  God?"  The  Hindu  be- 
lieved that  the  actual  words  of  Jesus  had  been  burned 
by  the  Jews. 

On  learning  the  language,  Martyn's  method  was 
to  carry  a  notebook  with  him  and  write  down  every 
new  word  that  he  heard.  Not  only  was  he  busied 
with  translating  the  Scriptures  into  Hindustani,  but 
he  was  learning  the  Persian  tongue,  which  was  to 
lead  to  the  noblest  achievement  of  his  life.  His  tract 
distributing  was  misunderstood  by  the  natives.  They 
supposed  that  free  copies  of  the  sacred  book  of 
Ramayana  were  being  given  away,  and  they 
thronged  the  boat.  Their  superstitions,  idolatry,  and 
dislike  of  the  English  were  formidable  barriers  to 
the  work.  Martyn  wrote:  ''What  a  wretched  life 
shall  I  lead  if  I  do  not  exert  myself  from  morning 
till  night  in  a  place  where,  through  whole  territories, 
I  seem  to  be  the  only  light !" 

It  was  after  arriving  at  Dinagepore  that  he  wrote, 
offering  himself  to  the  young  lady  previously 
mentioned.  Miss  Grenfell,  and  after  months  of 
suspense  he  received  her  refusal.  This  was  a 
terrible  blow  to  him,  but  he  found  relief  in  devoting 
himself  still  more  assiduously  to  his  studies.     His 


58  Pioneer  Missionaries 

mornings  were  occupied  with  study  of  Sanscrit, 
the  afternoons  with  the  Behar  dialects,  and 
the  evenings  in  translating  the  Parables  into  the 
vernacular.  He  writes :  "I  peg  as  hard  as  ever  we 
did  for  our  degrees  at  Cambridge.  Such  a  week  of 
labor  I  have  never  passed,  not  excepting  even  the 
last  week  before  going  into  the  Senate  House.  I 
have  read  and  corrected  the  manuscript  copies  of  my 
Hindustani  Testament  so  often  that  my  eyes  ache. 
The  heat  is  terrible,  often  at  ninety-eight  degrees, 
the  nights  insupportable." 

As  soon  as  his  duties  as  Chaplain  began  he  met 
with  the  same  opposition  from  the  English  that  he 
had  at  Calcutta,  and  he  became  extremely  unpopular. 
He  remained  undaunted,  and  says :  "Let  me  labor 
for  fifty  years  amidst  scowl  and  without  seeing  one 
soul  converted,  still  it  shall  not  be  worse  for  my  soul 
in  eternity,  nor  even  worse  for  it  in  time."  There 
was  an  idea  prevalent  that  if  Martyn  preached  to 
the  natives  the  government  would  be  in  danger,  so 
when  twelve  thousand  Mahratta  troops  arrived  at 
the  station,  every  effort  on  his  part  to  preach  to  them 
was  regarded  with  suspicion.  So  he  turned  to  the 
children  and  undertook  to  support  with  his  own 
money  five  schools.  Again  opposition  met  him  and 
a  panic  was  created  from  the  fear  that  he  was  going 
to  make  all  the  children  Christians.  Throngs  of 
people  collected  around  one  of  these  schools  and  the 
teachers  and  children  fled.    Martyn  was  equal  to  the 


Henry  Marty n  59 

emergency  and  quieted  the  excitement  and  restored 
order  to  the  schools. 

Here  and  there  he  found  a  gleam  of  encourage- 
ment. One  officer  became  a  Christian;  a  learned 
Brahmin  copied  the  Ten  Commandments,  which 
Martyn  had  rendered  into  Sanscrit.  The  ignorance 
on  every  side  was  dense.  One  Indian  princess,  to 
whom  he  had  sent  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament,  in 
Hindustani,  wished  to  know  if  she  should  pray,  bow 
or  make  a  salaam  to  the  book,  in  order  that  it  should 
be  of  some  advantage  to  her.  Martyn  was  urged  to 
leave  Dinagepore  and  become  the  minister  of  the 
Mission  Church  of  the  Presidency.  This  he  declined. 

His  literary  work  was  now  so  absorbing  that  he 
had  both  a  Hindustani  and  an  Arabian  scholar  to 
assist  him.  The  Prayer-Book  was  translated  into 
Hindustani,  and  a  Commentary  upon  the  Parables 
was  also  prepared.  The  Arabian,  Sabat  by  name, 
proved  a  source  of  great  trouble  to  the  missionary, 
on  account  of  his  terrible  temper.  He  even  went  so 
far  as  to  write  a  letter,  complaining  of  his  master,  to 
the  British  President.  This  was  returned  to  Mr. 
Martyn,  and  he  requested  Sabat  to  read  it  to  him. 
Not  wishing  to  read  it,  the  humbled  servant  fell  at 
his  master's  feet,  begging  forgiveness. 

Sad  news  came  to  Henry  Martyn  now  of  the  death 
of  his  eldest  sister,  and  shortly  after  the  word  that 
his  youngest  sister  was  also  gone. 

In  April,  1809,  he  was  summoned  to  go  to  Cawn- 


6o  Pioneer  Missionaries 

pore  to  take  the  chaplaincy  of  the  troops  there.  It 
was  a  most  fatiguing  journey  of  several  hundred 
miles,  and  as  April  in  the  upper  provinces  of  Hindu- 
stan is  a  very  unfavorable  season  for  traveling,  Mar- 
tyn  was  very  near  death's  door  on  his  arrival  at  the 
home  of  Mrs.  Sherwood,  who  was  always  a  firm 
friend  of  his.  After  the  manuscript  of  his  Persian 
New  Testament  had  been  looked  over  by  the  authori- 
ties at  Calcutta,  it  was  returned  to  the  tireless  student 
for  revision.  It  was  said  to  abound  with  Arabian 
idioms.  In  order  to  perfect  this  work  Martyn  de- 
termined to  journey  to  Persia.  His  work  at  Cawn- 
pore  had  been  arduous.  His  custom  there  was  to 
preach  to  the  crowds  of  beggars  from  the  veranda 
of  his  house.  Besides  this  he  instructed  the  native 
women  and  comforted  the  sick  and  needy. 

Mrs.  Sherwood  gives  a  good  description  of  him  in 
her  autobiography :  "He  was  dressed  in  white  and 
looked  very  pale;  his  hair,  a  light  brown,  was  raised 
from  his  forehead,  which  was  a  remarkably  fine  one. 
His  features  were  not  regular,  but  the  expression  was 
so  luminous,  so  intellectual,  so  affectionate,  so  beam- 
ing with  Divine  Charity  that  no  one  could  have 
looked  at  his  features  and  thought  of  their  shape  and 
form ;  the  out-beaming  of  his  soul  would  absorb  the 
attention  of  every  observer." 

At  Cawnpore  he  was  able  to  open  a  place  of  wor- 
ship, and  had  the  satisfaction  of  preaching  in  it  once 
before  his  departure.    At  Calcutta,  he  had  the  pleas- 


Henry  Martyn  6i 

ure  of  meeting  his  old  friend,  Rev.  Mr.  Brown,  once 
again.  One  who  saw  him  at  this  time  wrote  to  Rev. 
Charles  Simeon  thus :  "He  is  on  his  way  to  Arabia, 
where  he  is  going  in  pursuit  of  health  and  knowl- 
edge. You  know  his  genius  and  what  gigantic 
strides  he  takes  in  everything.  He  has  some  great 
plan  in  his  mind,  of  which  I  am  no  competent  judge; 
but  as  far  as  I  do  understand  it,  the  object  is  far  too 
grand  for  one  short  life,  and  much  beyond  his  feeble 
and  exhausted  frame." 

All  his  friends  at  Calcutta  were  shocked  at  the 
change  that  four  years  had  wrought  in  him.  He 
obtained  sick  leave,  and  facing  this  new  experience  in 
life,  he  writes :  "I  now  pass  from  India  to  Arabia, 
not  knowing  the  things  which  shall  befall  me  there, 
but  assured  that  an  ever-faithful  God  and  Saviour 
will  be  with  me  in  all  places  whithersoever  I  go." 
Just  upon  leaving  he  preached  a  sermon  at  the  anni- 
versary of  the  Calcutta  Bible  Society,  in  which  he 
entreated  the  "Christians  in  India  to  do  something  to 
supply  their  nine  hundred  thousand  fellow-believers 
in  that  country  with  the  Holy  Scriptures."  His 
health  improved  while  he  remained  at  Bombay. 

On  April  14,  181 1,  the  coast  of  Persia  was 
reached,  and  going  on  shore  at  Muscat,  Martyn 
wrote  to  his  friend,  Miss  Grenfell.  A  slave  boy 
whom  he  met  here  in  a  garden  interested  him  ex- 
ceedingly, and  he  gave  the  lad  a  copy  of  the  Gospels 
in  Arabic.    Martyn  at  once  adopted  the  Persian  cos- 


62  Pioneer  Missionaries 

tume  and  let  his  beard  grow,  which  necessarily- 
changed  his  appearance  very  much. 

The  journey  across  the  plains  of  Persia  to  Shiraz 
was  now  begun.  The  heat  was  often  intense,  but 
sometimes  they  were  able  to  pitch  their  tents  by 
crystal  streams.  At  Shiraz  he  was  completely  ab- 
sorbed with  the  task  of  translating  afresh  the  New 
Testament  into  Persian.  A  prominent  native  re- 
ceived him  at  his  house,  and  this  man's  brother-in- 
law  became  a  helper  in  the  work  of  translation. 
Many  of  the  great  and  learned  visited  Martyn  here, 
and  his  host  pitched  a  tent  for  his  use  in  his  gardens, 
but  this  did  not  preclude  people  from  thronging  to 
see  this  stranger,  who  some  thought  had  journeyed 
to  Persia  in  order  to  become  a  Musselman. 

He  was  presented  to  a  certain  noted  prince,  Abbas 
Mirzas,  and  shortly  after  he  obtained  leave  from  a 
professor  of  the  Mohammedan  law  to  discuss  re- 
ligion publicly.  In  these  discussions  with  the  Mol- 
lahs,  Martyn  gained  a  victory. 

A  stay  of  ten  months  was  made  at  Shiraz,  then  a 
long  trip  was  undertaken  to  Tabriz  to  secure  an  in- 
troduction from  the  British  Ambassador  before  pre- 
senting his  Testament  to  the  Shah.  This  journey 
shattered  his  already  weak  frame  terribly,  and  but 
for  the  kind  care  he  received  at  the  house  of  this 
same  Ambassador  he  would  have  succumbed.  From 
there  he  started  on  a  journey  of  thirteen  hundred 
miles  to  Constantinople.     While  he  was  so  ill  at 


Henry  Martyn  63 

Tabriz,  his  New  Testament  translation  was  pre- 
sented to  the  Shah.  On  this  last  journey  he  was 
brutally  hurried  forward  when  very  ill  by  his  Tartar 
attendant,  and  on  reaching  Tokut,  October  16,  18 12, 
Henry  Martyn,  alone,  uncared  for  and  unknown, 
died  a  most  pathetic  death.  His  mourning  friends 
afterward  searched  for  his  remains  and  found  them 
beneath  a  huge  stone,  which  a  stream  had  left  bare. 
They  were  properly  reinterred  and  a  stone  erected  to 
his  memory,  with  an  inscription  in  English,  Arme- 
nian, Persian  and  Turkish,  declaring  that  he  was, 
"One  who  was  known  in  the  East  as  a  man  of  God." 


REV.  JAMES    CALVERT 

BORN     JANUAFY  3,    1813. 
DIED     MARCH    8,    1892. 

To  all  who  are  working  and  praying  for  the  ex- 
tension of  Christian  missions  in  foreign  lands,  the 
life,  labors  and  triumphs  of  Rev.  James  Calvert  in 
Fiji  are  an  inspiration  and  a  hope.  The  glorious  re- 
sult is  an  example  of  the  wonderful  success  that  may 
be  obtained  among  a  most  degraded  people.  All 
that  was  accomplished  in  cannibal  Fiji,  where  the  in- 
habitants were  unrivalled  for  the  blackest  acts  of 
savage  cruelty,  and  were  sunk  in  atrocious  crimes 
of  the  deepest  dye,  can  be  achieved  in  all  earth's 
darkest  places,  for  no  horrors  were  greater  and  no 
savagery  deeper  than  among  this  cannibal  race. 

Among  the  names  of  noble  Yorkshiremen,  few  are 
more  illustrious  than  that  of  James  Calvert,  who  was 
born  at  Pickering,  York,  England,  January  3,  181 3. 
His  early  education  was  received  at  Malton,  and  he 
was  then  apprenticed  for  seven  years  to  a  printer, 
bookbinder  and  stationer. 

On  April  8,  1831,  he  fully  embraced  the  Christian 
faith,   and   from   that   time   abandoned   every   evil 


James    Calvert  65 

way,  and  earnestly  devoted  his  energies  for  the  good 
of  all  men. 

After  removing  to  Beverly,  and  subsequently  to 
Colchester,  he  qualified  himself  for  a  business  life; 
but  at  Colchester  the  minister  recognized  in  him  un- 
usual talents  for  great  usefulness  in  mission  work. 
Being  urged  and  inspired  by  the  appeals  of  his  pas- 
tor, he  went,  in  1837,  to  Hoxton  Academy,  to  pre- 
pare for  foreign  service.  Here  he  met  John  Hunt, 
who  became  his  warm  friend  and  co-worker. 

As  these  two  young  men  were  pursuing  their 
studies,  there  came  a  powerful  and  most  urgent  ap- 
peal in  behalf  of  cannibal  Fiji.  They  were  stirred 
by  the  call,  and,  notwithstanding  the  hazardous 
work,  they  determined  to  labor  for  these  degraded 
cannibals  in  the  distant  islands  of  the  South  Pacific 
Ocean. 

After  Mr.  Calvert's  appointment  by  the  Wesleyan 
Missionary  Society,  he  journeyed  to  Buckingham- 
shire, and  there,  in  March,  1838,  married  Mary 
Fowler,  whose  devoted,  patient  labors  and  heroic 
powers  of  endurance  aided  him  materially  in  the 
success  of  his  work  in  far-off  Fiji. 

About  one  month  after  their  marriage  they  sailed 
for  New  South  Wales,  from  which  place  they  em- 
barked for  Fiji,  October  25,  1838,  with  John  Hunt 
and  Rev.  T.  J.  Jagger  as  associates  in  their  coura- 
geous work.    After  a  most  trying  and  uncomfortable 


66  Pioneer  Missionaries 

voyage,  they  reached  Lakemba,  one  of  the  chief 
islands,  in  December. 

Rev.  W.  Cross  and  David  Cargill  had  previously 
estabHshed  a  little  mission  on  Lakemba.  These  two 
were  the  pioneers  who,  at  fearful  cost,  had  risked 
their  lives,  endured  persecutions  and  had  struggled 
on  through  almost  insurmountable  difficulties,  work- 
ing, hoping  and  pra3dng  for  the  uplifting  of  these 
cruel,  demoralized  islanders.  With  what  joy  they 
now  welcomed  the  arrival  of  James  Calvert  and  John 
Hunt  ! 

At  once,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Calvert  began  the  study  of 
the  language.  Six  months  later  Mr.  Calvert  was  in 
charge  of  a  wide  and  laborious  circuit,  including 
thirteen  towns,  connected  by  no  roads,  and  with 
scarcely  a  safe  footpath  between  them,  besides 
twenty-four  surrounding  islands,  some  of  which 
were  over  one  hundred  miles  distant,  with  hardly  a 
seaworthy  canoe  available  by  which  to  reach  the 
vicious  inhabitants.  Yet  with  patience,  endurance 
and  courage  each  difficulty  was  overcome,  and  before 
many  months  he  had  journeyed  hundreds  of  miles, 
by  canoe  and  on  foot,  to  meet  the  people. 

Mrs.  Calvert  soon  mastered  the  language,  and  to 
her  simple  island  home  came  the  dark-skinned  girls 
and  women.  With  pitying  tenderness  she  patiently 
taught  these  unfortunate  creatures  to  sew,  to  read, 
to  sing  and  to  care  better  for  their  families  and  their 
homes.    Her  gentle,  unselfish,  loving  service,  her 


James    Calvert  67 

power  to  comfort  them  in  their  sorrows,  her  abiUty 
to  raise  them  above  their  sin  and  degradation,  ex- 
erted a  great  influence  among  the  native  women. 
She  was  in  every  way  her  husband's  helper. 

Constantly  working,  teaching  and  ministering,  the 
two  toiled  on,  yet  they  were  continually  called  upon 
to  endure  some  personal  annoyance,  or  witness  some 
horrible  deed  of  satanic  cruelty.  At  first,  the  natives 
seemed  to  take  especial  delight  in  pilfering  various 
articles  from  the  homes  of  the  missionaries.  At  one 
time  a  bold  robbery  was  cunningly  planned  by  the 
natives  and  accomplished  with  success.  A  hole  was 
noiselessly  and  cleverly  cut  in  the  reed  wall  of  one  of 
their  houses,  and  through  this  greedy  hands  were 
thrust  and  many  articles  of  wearing  apparel  were 
safely  pulled  out.  The  king,  however,  disapproved 
of  this  conduct,  and,  in  true  Fijian  style,  cut  off  a 
finger  from  the  hands  of  several  children  related  to 
the  culprits.  Gradually,  as  Mr.  Calvert  met  the  err- 
ing rogues  in  their  homes,  their  feeling  of  distrust  to- 
ward him  grew  into  confidence.  Nevertheless,  the 
cunning  duplicity  of  these  ignorant  Fijians  was  ex- 
emplified nearly  every  day,  and  each  instance  called 
for  marvelous  tact,  perseverance  and  courage  from 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Calvert. 

The  king,  Tui  Nayau,  showed  no  greater  interest 
now  in  the  Christians  and  their  work  than  he  did  in 
the  days  of  Mr.  Cargill,  although  Mr.  Calvert  tried 
to  persuade  him  to  accept  the  truth.    Once  Mr.  Cal- 


68  Pioneer  Missionaries 

vert  asked  him  if  the  people  in  a  certain  place  might 
join  the  Christians  if  they  wished.  The  king  gra- 
ciously acquiesced  and  said  he  believed  Christianity 
was  a  good  thing  and  people  should  please  them- 
selves in  matters  of  religion.  Mr.  Calvert  started 
off  with  a  joyful  heart,  delighted  and  happy  to  tell 
them  the  good  news.  Before  he  reached  the  town, 
however,  he  learned  that  the  king  had  hastily  sent  a 
message  there  before  him,  forbidding  any  one  to 
become  a  Christian,  under  penalty  of  banishment. 
Did  any  king  ever  excel  in  greater  duplicity? 

A  printing-press  was  sent  out  with  this  missionary 
party  in  1838.  Mr.  Calvert's  thorough  and  early 
knowledge  of  printing  and  bookbinding  was  now  of 
great  use  to  him.  The  natives  looked  with  amaze- 
ment at  the  press  and  the  work  accomplished  by  its 
use.  They  marvelled  at  the  working  of  the  wonder- 
ful machine.  They  danced  about  it,  bowed  to  it, 
knelt  to  it.  "It  is  a  god !"  they  cried.  It  was  indeed 
a  god,  whose  power  was  beyond  that  of  any  god  they 
had  ever  worshiped.  Soon  a  vocabulary  and  a  gram- 
mar, in  the  Lakemban  dialect,  were  ready  for  use. 
This  printing-press  was  later  moved  about  from  one 
island  to  another,  and  from  it  were  issued  thousands 
of  helpful  papers,  while  in  1847  ^  complete  and  well- 
bound  New  Testament  was  ready  for  the  natives. 

On  the  island  of  Oneata  the  work  was  productive 
of  great  good.  A  church  and  school  were  estab- 
lished and  many  of  the  natives  took  an  active  part  in 


James   Calvert  69 

the  work.  Tui  Nayau  himself  showed  less  hostility, 
and  when,  in  1842,  he  learned  that  some  industrious 
inhabitants  had  built  a  larger  chapel,  he  sent  a  mes- 
sage requesting  all  the  people  to  join  the  "Lotu" — as 
they  called  the  profession  of  the  Christian  religion. 
Many  who  were  only  waiting  for  this  sanction  im- 
mediately renounced  their  heathen  worship.  Among 
these  were  the  leading  chief  and  the  priest  of  the 
island.  The  inhabitants  of  Oneata  were  of  superior 
intelligence,  industry  and  enterprise,  and  so  they 
proved  a  great  acquisition  to  Christianity  in  Fiji. 

It  was  remarkable  to  note  what  an  unexpected 
sturdiness  of  character  the  native  Christians  evinced. 
With  martyr-like  courage  and  wonderful  loyalty, 
many  endured  persecution,  exile,  torture  and  even 
death  rather  than  compromise  their  principles. 

Once  when  a  ferocious  king  came  to  visit  one  of 
the  islands,  arrangements  were  made  to  have  the 
festivities  observed  on  a  Sunday,  but  in  this  the 
Christian  natives  refused  to  take  a  part,  although 
in  refusing  they  risked  the  displeasure  of  the  king, 
who  had  threatened  to  kill  and  eat  any  subject  who 
would  not  obey  his  commands.  When  the  time  came, 
the  Christians  were  rigidly  true  to  their  determina- 
tion, and  strange  to  say,  the  king  permitted  them  to 
do  homage  and  offer  tribute  on  the  following  day.  So 
well  did  these  people  observe  the  Sabbath  that  no 
canoe  was  seen  putting  out  to  sea  on  that  day — un- 
less it  was  carrying  a  preacher  to  some  island — and 


70  Pioneer  Missionaries 

no  bribe  was  tempting  enough  to  cause  a  Christian 
native  to  climb  a  tree  for  a  cocoanut.  The  same  de- 
gree of  energy  and  force  which  had  been  directed 
to  the  greatest  wickedness  was  now  used  for  the 
greatest  good.  A  severe  test  of  their  adherence 
to  the  Sabbath  keeping  happened  when  two  of 
their  most  popular  and  elaborate  festivals  fell  on  a 
Sunday.  The  act  of  self-denial  in  not  participating 
in  these  was  most  praiseworthy. 

The  conversion  of  the  daughter  of  the  king  had 
great  influence  among  the  natives.  She  became  seri- 
ously ill  and,  according  to  Fijian  custom,  the 
king  endeavored  to  appease  the  supposed  anger  of 
the  gods  by  ordering  large  offerings  to  be  made. 
Thousands  of  fine  taro  roots  were  baked.  Nineteen 
large  puddings,  from  fifteen  to  twenty-one  feet  in 
circumference,  were  baked  and  presented,  but  still 
the  king's  daughter  grew  worse.  At  length  Mr.  Cal- 
vert was  called.  He  left  medicine,  which,  while  re- 
storing consciousness,  caused  her  to  toss  about  rest- 
lessly. The  king,  thinking  this  was  a  sure  sign  she 
was  worse,  grew  angry,  and  threatened  Mr.  Calvert, 
who  speedily  ran  home  for  his  life.  The  following 
day  the  king  sent  word  that  his  daughter  was  better. 
She  was  finally  taken  to  Mr.  Calvert's  house,  given 
especial  care  by  his  devoted  wife,  grew  strong  and 
well,  became  converted  and  was  an  active  worker  in 
the  missionary  church. 

Days  and  weeks  passed  in  caring  for  the  sick, 


James    Calvert  y\ 

preaching  after  long  journeys,  teaching  crowds  and 
meeting  the  multitude.  Ten  years  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Calvert  lived  on  Lakemba,  constantly  enduring  hard- 
ships, yet  ever  hopeful  and  always  ready  to  alleviate, 
lead  and  bless. 

Mr.  Calvert's  old  friend,  John  Hunt,  who  had 
been  stationed  at  Viwa,  died  in  1848,  and  to  this 
island  Mr.  Calvert  now  removed. 

Mrs.  Calvert's  intercession  before  a  king  for 
mercy  toward  human  beings  who  were  to  be  butch- 
ered and  eaten  is  a  thrilling  example  of  courage. 
A  piratical  tribe  arrived  at  the  island  of  Bau.  To 
entertain  them  in  proper  style,  human  flesh,  their 
greatest  delicacy,  must  be  obtained.  A  party  of  men 
who  were  sent  forth  to  capture  bodies  returned  with 
fourteen  women.  Mrs.  Calvert  and  Mrs.  Lythe 
were  alone  in  their  home,  but  hearing  of  this  atro- 
cious act,  they,  with  desperate  courage,  hastened  to 
the  scene.  The  horrible  noise  of  the  death-drums 
was  sounding,  when,  rushing  through  the  excited, 
bloodthirsty  crowd,  they  made  their  way  straight  to 
the  king  and  rushed  into  his  very  presence,  where  no 
woman  was  ever  allowed  to  enter.  Forgetting  their 
own  danger,  unguarded  and  alone,  they  stood  before 
him  and  earnestly,  piteously  begged  for  the  lives  of 
the  doomed  women.  The  king,  startled  and  amazed 
at  their  audacity,  and  moved  by  their  earnestness, 
ordered  the  murderers  to  desist  from  their  work  of 
debauchery. 


72  Pioneer  Missionaries 

The  death  of  a  man  of  rank  was  always  followed 
by  the  custom  of  strangling  his  wives,  his  chief  ser- 
vant and  his  mother.  Often  these  women  mani- 
fested no  desire  to  escape  their  fate,  but  regarded  it 
as  a  coveted  honor.  Mr.  Calvert  did  much  to  abolish 
not  only  the  custom  of  killing  and  eating  human  be- 
ings, but  this  practice  of  strangulation. 

At  last  there  came  the  day  for  which  Mr.  Calvert 
had  worked,  longed  and  prayed.  On  April  30,  1854, 
the  chief  ordered  that  the  death-drums  be  now  used 
to  call  the  people  together  to  worship  the  true  God. 
What  was  their  joy  to  see  more  than  three  hundred 
wending  their  way  to  the  large  "Stranger's  House," 
and  among  them  was  the  great  chief  with  his  many 
wives  and  children.  It  was  a  memorable  sight,  as 
they  now  knelt  in  adoration  of  the  Christian's  God. 

In  1857,  Thakombau,  the  king,  after  dismissing 
his  many  wives  with  all  their  wealth  and  influence, 
was  baptized.  Before  his  court,  his  ambassadors, 
his  people,  he  stood  up  and  humbly  confessed  his 
former  sins  and  embraced  the  Christian  faith.  One 
thousand  hearts  throbbed  in  excitement  as  they  lis- 
tened in  awe  and  astonishment  to  this  king  who  had 
slain  their  husbands,  strangled  their  relatives,  mur- 
dered their  friends  and  eaten  their  children;  and 
now  what  was  he  saying?  "I  have  been  a  bad  man ! 
I  have  disturbed  the  country.  God  has  singularly 
preserved  my  life.  I  desire  to  acknowledge  him  as 
the  only  and  the  true  God."    The  words  were  ear- 


James    Calvert  73 

nestly,  feelingly  spoken  by  the  man  who  had  but  a 
short  time  before  approved  of  the  basest  cruelty. 
Beside  him  stood  his  one  beloved  wife.  She  had  dis- 
carded her  skirt  of  woven  root  fiber,  trimmed  with 
long  grass  fringe,  and  was  neatly  attired  in  appro- 
priate dress.  From  this  time  the  king  worked  con- 
stantly for  the  good  of  his  people,  exerting  more  in- 
fluence than  any  other  chief  throughout  the  islands. 
One  of  his  last  acts  as  king  was  to  cede  Fiji  to  the 
Queen  of  Great  Britain,  in  October,  1874,  and  to  her 
he  sent  his  old  and  favorite  war  club — the  only 
known  law  in  Fiji. 

Many  times  Mr.  Calvert's  life  was  in  imminent 
peril,  when  natives  surprised  him,  gathered  about 
him,  brandished  clubs,  leveled  guns  and  threatened 
to  kill  him  as  they  sang  their  hideous  death  song.  In 
each  instance  Mr.  Calvert  showed  wonderful  pres- 
ence of  mind,  tact  and  firmness  in  protesting  against 
their  crime,  and  several  times  he  was  rescued  by  some 
native  who  recognized  him  as  having  done  some 
friendly  act  for  them.  In  all  his  work  he  ever  de- 
clared God  was  constantly  his  leader  and  his  deliv- 
erer. 

After  seventeen  years  of  labor  in  Fiji,  Calvert  re- 
turned to  England,  where,  in  1856,  he  settled  at 
Woodbridge,  revising  the  Old  Testament  translation 
for  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society;  but  the 
death  of  the  ablest  worker  at  Fiji  caused  him  to 
return  to  his  former  post,  where  once  more  he  was 


74  Pioneer  Missionaries 

on  his  mission  of  teaching  and  ministering.  Four 
hundred  chapels,  eleven  ordained  native  ministers, 
two  hundred  and  fifty  local  preachers  and  thirteen 
thousand  church-members  now  formed  a  striking 
contrast  to  the  condition  of  the  islands  in  1838. 

In  1865,  Mr.  Calvert  was  again  in  England,  and 
six  years  were  spent  rendering  service  at  home  for 
the  work  of  foreign  missions.  In  October,  1872,  he 
left  to  aid  in  the  South  African  diamond  fields.  His 
former  experiences  in  church  government  enabled 
him  to  leave  the  church  in  a  state  of  order  and  pros- 
perity. 

The  Jubilee  of  Christianity  was  celebrated  in  Fiji 
in  1885.  Mr.  Calvert,  hale  and  vigorous  at  seventy- 
two,  longed  to  see  his  beloved  Fijians  once  more  and 
to  rejoice  with  them,  so  this  veteran  toiler  set  out  for 
his  trip  around  the  world.  Forty  happy  days  were 
spent  in  Fiji.  Where  there  was  not  a  single  Chris- 
tian in  1835,  when  the  mission  commenced,  there 
was  not  an  avowed  heathen  now  in  1885.  He  found 
over  thirteen  hundred  churches,  ten  white  mission- 
aries, sixty-five  native  ministers,  over  one  thousand 
head  teachers,  over  twenty-eight  thousand  church- 
members,  more  than  forty-two  thousand  scholars  in 
nearly  two  thousand  schools  and  one  hundred  and 
four  thousand  five  hundred  and  eighty-five  church 
attendants  out  of  a  population  of  one  hundred  and 
sixteen  thousand. 

Cannibalism,   widow-strangling,   and   infanticide 


James  Calvert  y^ 

were  now  unheard-of  cruelties,  and  the  heart  of  their 
old  devoted  leader  was  filled  to  overflowing  as  he 
saw  the  grand  results  in  this  heathen  island  life. 

Returning  to  his  home  in  Hastings,  he  continued 
to  labor  for  the  people  nearest  to  his  heart  until 
March  8,  1892,  when  his  last  earthly  task  was  ended. 

His  was  the  privilege,  given  to  few,  of  seeing 
what  great  results  the  Lord  had  accomplished 
through  his  service  among  the  heathen. 


REV.  LUTHER  HALSEY  GULICK,  M.D. 

BORN  JUNE   10,    1828. 
DIED  APRIL  8,   189I. 

The  great  strides  made  among  the  missions  in 
Hawaii,  Micronesia,  China  and  Japan  during  the 
early  years  of  the  nineteenth  century  illuminate  the 
name  of  Gulick — that  most  famous  fLi  lily  of  mis- 
sionaries. 

Few  men  have  been  a  greater  power  j.  spiritual 
good,  have  endured  more  varied  expert  ^es,  or 
have  left  a  more  enduring  name  upon  the  miss  ary 
work  of  four  countries  than  has  Luther  Halsey  ^" 
lick,  upon  whose  plain,  gray  granite  monument  at 
Springfield,  Mass.,  is  engraved  the  simple  story: 
"For  forty  years  a  foreign  missionary." 

In  a  modest,  unpretentious  missionary  home  in 
Honolulu — that  city  of  perpetual  summer — Luther 
Halsey  Gulick  was  born  in  the  year  1828.  His 
father  and  mother  had  reached  Hawaii  only  three 
months  before  this  event,  and  for  forty-six  years 
they  lived  among  these  dusky  people,  furnishing  liv- 
ing examples  of  prayerful  devotion,  unselfish  help- 
fulness, self-sacrifice  and  love.     In  such  an  atmos- 


LLTHKK    HALSKV    GLLICK 


Luther  Halsey   Gulick  'j'j 

phere  this  first-born  son  received  his  earhest  impres- 
sions, and  these  were  of  good  to  all  mankind. 

His  boyhood  days  were  spent  at  Koloa,  with  a 
year  at  school  in  beautiful  Honolulu.  Then  came 
the  long  ocean  voyage  to  the  United  States,  the  coun- 
try chosen  by  his  parents  for  better  educational  ad- 
vantages. 

We  can  realize  what  must  have  been  the  pain  of 
parting,  the  thought  that  home  letters  could  reach 
him  but  once  a  year ;  we  see  the  tears  of  playmates, 
the  grief  of  the  loving  mother  and  the  courage  of 
this  brave  boy  of  twelve.  The  eight  months'  sea 
voyage  called  for  bravery  through  weeks  of  home- 
sick days  and  for  strength  to  accomplish  the  daily 
tasks  assigned  him  of  washing,  scrubbing,  sewing, 
sweeping,  and  performing  the  duties  of  steward  from 
five  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  eleven  at  night. 
Weary,  yet  uncomplaining,  he  followed  the  call  of 
duty.  Woods  Holl,  near  New  Bedford,  Massachu- 
setts, was  at  last  gladly  welcomed. 

The  United  States  seemed  desolate  and  cold  to 
this  lonely  voyager.  He  was  now  a  solitary  trav- 
eler in  a  strange  land,  seeking  his  mother's  old  home. 
When  once  he  had  found  it,  the  farm  life  in  New 
Jersey  and  Connecticut  became  full  of  interest  to 
him,  and  soon  he  was  in  the  midst  of  school  life  at 
Auburn  Academy,  making  his  home  with  Dr.  Luther 
Halsey,  his  father's  friend  of  Princeton  days.  It  is 
not  strange  that  this  quiet,  thoughtful  boy  from 


yS  Pioneer  Missionaries 

Hawaii,  who  studied  when  others  played,  should 
win  more  prizes  than  all  the  others.  A  thorough 
student,  ambitious,  persevering,  and  determined  to 
succeed,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  decided  to  devote  his 
life  to  foreign  missions,  giving  his  reason  in  the  fol- 
lowing words :  "It  is  the  duty  of  each  human  being 
to  choose  his  life-work  where  talent  and  circum- 
stance will  enable  him  most  to  glorify  God."  He 
then  wrote  in  his  journal,  "I  was  born  among  the 
heathen.  They  are  my  countrymen  and  now  shall  I 
forsake  them?  No;  I  will  claim  the  whole  heathen 
world  as  my  countrymen." 

Thus  early  with  earnest  and  youthful  loyalty  he 
resolved  to  take  his  place  among  the  world's  mission- 
ary workers. 

The  year  1846  was  devoted  to  incessant  study, 
and  the  dawn  of  each  day  found  him  pursuing  his 
medical  studies.  Every  hour  grew  increasingly 
precious  to  this  ambitious  youth,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1847  he  entered  the  New  York  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons. 

Each  Sunday  he  spoke  in  a  mission  chapel  on 
Fifty-first  Street,  and  the  great  desire  to  be  a  preach- 
er was  pre-eminent.  To  preach,  to  inspire,  to  lead, 
was  his  one  ambition.  This  led  to  his  organizing  a 
Sunday-school  in  the  same  place — the  embryo  of  his 
later  and  grand  missionary  work.  With  increasing 
and  throbbing  interest  he  watched  for  news  of  the 
movements  of  foreign  nations.     He  was  keenly  alive 


Luther  Halsey  Gulick  79 

to  each  bit  of  information  and  his  interest  grew  more 
intense  each  week. 

How  best  to  unite  the  home  work  to  the  foreign 
field  was  the  object  of  the  meeting  of  the  American 
Board  at  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  in  1849.  Here 
he  eagerly  listened  to  those  who  had  aided  at  home. 
With  what  delight  he  once  more  met  young  people 
from  his  homeland — playmates  from  sunny  Hawaii 
— now  fellow-students  in  New  England. 

His  ever-strengthening  purpose  of  life  to  be  a  for- 
eign missionary  here  received  a  great  impetus,  and 
his  three  years  of  medical  work  were  now  followed 
by  theological  studies. 

In  1 85 1  the  Hawaiian  Missionary  Society  was 
formed  as  auxiliary  to  the  American  Board.  Dur- 
ing the  summer  young  Gulick  learned  that  a  mis- 
sion to  one  of  the  Micronesian  islands  had  been  pro- 
jected and  that  the  Hawaiian  Island  Mission  was  to 
act  upon  it  the  following  May.  "A  Hawaiian  mis- 
sion with  Hawaiian  missionaries !  How  much  I 
wish  I  might  be  one!"  he  exclaimed.  "Why  should 
I  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  a  few  more  years  of  study  ? 
I  will  go,"  and  with  no  regret,  disappointment  or 
hint  of  self-sacrifice,  he  immediately  offered  himself 
to  the  American  Board,  was  examined,  accepted  and 
ordained.  The  intervening  months  were  spent  in 
hospital  practice  in  New  York  City,  in  further  study 
of  Greek  and  Hebrew,  in  attendance  upon  lectures, 
and  in  reading. 


8o  Pioneer  Missionaries 

On  October  29,  1851,  Gulick  was  married  to  Miss 
Louisa  Lewis,  an  unselfish  and  devoted  toiler  in  the 
city  missionary  work  of  New  York,  and  on  Novem- 
ber 18  they  sailed  from  Boston  to  the  far-away 
islands  of  Micronesia ;  but  as  they  shut  out  the  world 
from  their  lives,  each  life  grew  to  be  more  than  the 
world  to  the  other.  They  were  of  the  last  little 
company  which  the  American  Board  sent  to  the 
Pacific  by  way  of  Cape  Horn.  There  was  the  visit 
at  Hawaii  on  the  way,  and  what  throbbing  hearts 
greeted  one  another  after  the  separation  of  twelve 
years!  With  what  enthusiasm  he  was  welcomed 
by  old  friends  who  were  now  to  give  as  well  as 
receive !  How  they  crowded  about  the  young  man 
of  twenty-four  who  had  consecrated  himself  to  the 
loneliness  of  Micronesia  and  was  now  to  be  their 
missionary  in  those  islands  three  thousand  miles 


away 


A  memorable  picture  was  afiforded  on  that  bright 
Sabbath  in  June  when  one  thousand  Hawaiian  com- 
municants celebrated  the  Lord's  Supper.  With  one 
accord  they  heartily  arose  and  freely  pledged  them- 
selves with  prayer  and  contributions  zealously  to 
follow  their  missionaries  year  after  year  "even  until 
death."  There  was  no  hesitation;  all  were  filled 
with  the  spirit  of  self-sacrifice,  devotion  and  change- 
less love  for  Micronesia  and  the  brave  workers  they 
were  sending  forth. 

Nine    days    later    the    Caroline,    under    tropical 


Luther   Halsey  Gulick  8i 

skies,  proudly  bore  away  the  little  band  of  heroic 
missionaries  amid  the  earnest  prayers  that  were 
being  offered  in  English  and  Hawaiian,  while  surg- 
ing out  over  the  waters  of  Honolulu  bay  from  hun- 
dreds of  voices  rose  and  fell  the  inspiring  strains  of 
Reginald  Heber's  grand  missionary  hymn. 

The  schooner  gave  scanty  comfort  to  the  twenty- 
four  people  on  board,  among  whom  were  three  for- 
eign and  two  Hawaiian  missionaries  and  their  wives. 
No  staterooms  offered  rest;  no  part  of  the  service 
on  that  diminutive  schooner  of  only  one  hundred 
tons  was  efficient. 

How  grateful  to  the  crowded  wearied  passengers 
was  the  first  sight  of  a  low-lying  Micronesian  coral 
reef,  with  its  long  line  of  tall,  graceful  cocoanut  and 
pandanus  trees  towering  above  the  beach  of  white 
glistening  sand ! 

On  September  6,  1852,  they  reached  the  island  of 
Ponape — that  beautiful  emerald  in  a  setting  of  sil- 
ver— the  largest  of  forty-eight  islands  which  form 
the  Caroline  group,  and  the  one  by  which  all  Micro- 
nesia had  been  judged.  Ten  thousand  bronzed,  be- 
nighted people  from  houses  hidden  by  hanging  vines 
and  clinging  moss  gazed,  wondered,  and  then  wel- 
comed the  weary  voyagers.  On  September  29  the 
Caroline,  their  one  link  of  connection  with  the 
Christian  world,  sailed  away,  and  the  history  of  civ- 
ilization began  on  that  isolated  tree-girt  island.  It 
began  with  almost  insurmountable  difficulties  for  the 


82  Pioneer  Missionaries 

zealous,  unshrinking  ones  who  had  come  to  endure, 
to  lead,  to  wait,  to  conquer. 

During  the  first  months  we  see  them  adapting 
themselves  to  new  conditions,  studying  the  people 
and  their  language,  preaching,  teaching,  and  minis- 
tering to  their  physical  as  well  as  to  their  spiritual 
needs.  Disappointments,  heartaches,  discourage- 
ments grew  at  last  into  a  great  hope  to  this  tireless 
man,  who  was  at  once  physician,  carpenter,  student, 
cook,  shoemaker,  blacksmith,  dressmaker  and 
preacher. 

Gradually  the  little  class  of  pupils  increased  in 
number.  The  king,  who  turned  pale  with  horror 
when  a  small  boy  wrote  his  name  and  read  it  to  him, 
was  himself  soon  learning  to  read.  A  curious  sight 
it  was  to  see  the  tall,  brown-skinned,  tatooed  men, 
the  small,  brown-eyed,  black-haired  women,  and  the 
toddling,  wondering  children — three  generations — 
eagerly  bending  over  the  same  hand-written,  much- 
worn  sheets  of  Dr.  Gulick's  Micronesian  Primer. 
The  members  of  this  little  class  were  all  anxious  to 
write  or  read  their  names,  a  verse  or  a  hymn.  They 
came  any  time  for  their  lessons.  From  sunrise  to 
sunset,  resplendent  in  nature's  mantle,  polished,  and 
shining  with  cocoanut  oil,  they  crowded  to  Dr. 
Gulick's  home — a  house  made  of  poles,  reed  wicker 
work,  with  a  roof  of  sago  leaves,  the  favorite  resting 
place  of  scorpions,  lizards  and  centipedes. 

In  1854,  the  little  school  held  its  first  exhibition. 


Luther   Halsey   Gulick  83 

Some  of  the  women  had  learned  to  sew  and  six  girls 
had  discarded  the  cocoanut-leaf  skirt  and  now  stood 
forth  royally  attired  in  blue  calico  dresses,  while  four 
boys  felt  themselves  kings  in  green  calico  sacks. 
Surely  encouragement  was  present  in  these  outward 
signs  of  approaching  civilization ! 

Yet  the  faint  glimmer  of  an  occasional  light  was 
often  eclipsed  by  utter  darkness.  Sickness  and 
hunger,  verging  almost  to  starvation,  was  theirs  to 
fight;  the  hopelessness  of  isolation  and  privation 
was  theirs  to  endure,  and  from  souls  full  of  anguish, 
if  not  of  despair,  came  the  cry,  "Our  hearts  are  sick, 
our  souls  faint,  our  eyes  are  wearied  in  the  watch- 
ing." Ships  passed,  yet  not  one  brought  tidings 
from  loved  ones  at  home.  They  had  looked  for- 
ward to  the  annual  return  of  the  Caroline  with  sup- 
plies and  the  mail.  It  returned  once,  then  word 
came  the  expense  was  so  great,  that  their  mail  and 
supplies  would  be  sent  by  any  whaling  vessel  that 
chanced  to  come  to  Honolulu.  What  a  piercing 
blow  to  missionary  heroism !  Drearily  passed  those 
thirteen  months  of  painful  waiting  for  news  of  the 
outside  world!  Marvelous  forethought  was  re- 
quired to  order  provisions,  tools,  furniture  and 
clothing  when  the  order  consumed  one  year  in  going, 
the  supplies  were  one  year  in  coming,  and  not  until 
the  third  year  could  they  be  used  in  this  island  soli- 
tude. 

Through  half  of  the  year  1854  a  smallpox  epi- 


84  Pioneer  Missionaries 

demic  raged,  sweeping  its  way  relentlessly  across  the 
terror-stricken  island.  Dr.  Gulick  wrote  in  his 
journal :  "I  have  never  before  witnessed  such 
wretched  and  harrowing  misery."  Day  after  day, 
as  soon  as  he  himself  had  recovered  from  the  disease, 
he  struggled  to  abate  the  ravages  of  the  pestilence. 
Before  the  dreadful  epidemic  ten  thousand  strong, 
confident  people  roamed  the  island;  after  it,  five 
thousand  bereaved,  dazed  beings  sought  for  comfort. 
Confidence  in  the  power  of  their  preacher  was 
strengthened  and  there  was  now  redoubled  energy 
in  Dr.  Gulick's  labors.  He  journeyed,  preached, 
prayed  and  translated  for  his  prostrate  people  as 
never  before,  and  they,  with  renewed  zeal,  began 
their  reading,  writing  and  Bible  work  anew.  Chil- 
dren taught  their  fathers,  and  husbands  taught  their 
wives.  This  indeed  lent  inspiration,  but  how  slowly 
and  at  what  great  cost  was  it  gained ! 

A  year  later  Dr.  Gulick  helped  to  build  the  log- 
hewn,  straw-thatched  schoolhouse,  chapel  and  hos- 
pital— buildings  as  beautiful  in  the  eyes  of  the  na- 
tives as  the  most  magnificently  sculptured  cathedral 
or  temple  of  an  ancient  king.  Inexpressible  joy  it 
gave  to  him  to  see  faint  lights  in  the  blackness,  to 
inspire  life  amidst  death,  to  see  brutes  become  men; 
and  for  these  traces  of  civilization,  for  chapels  and 
for  converts  he  had  given  years  of  patient,  unremit- 
ting toil.     How  little  had  been  the  missionary  fruit- 


Luther   Halsey   Gulick  85 

age  in  comparison  with  the  hope !  Yet  brighter  days 
were  dawning. 

In  1857  came  their  first  crude  printing-press. 
With  what  enthusiasm  the  natives  waited  for  their 
tiny  printed  sheets  of  bkie  paper,  four  inches  wide 
and  five  inches  long!  How  joyfully  they  scanned  the 
sixteen  pages  of  their  books,  the  leaves  of  which  were 
lovingly  stitched  together  by  hand  with  thread. 
Were  ever  books  more  prized  than  this  first  edition 
of  the  first  book  printed  for  darkened,  unlettered 
Micronesia?  With  feeble,  tottering  steps,  with  the 
alphabet,  a  few  spelling  exercises,  a  little  catechism, 
and  four  hymns,  Micronesia  stepped  into  the  great 
literary  world.  Through  the  persevering,  hopeful 
guidance  of  Luther  Halsey  Gulick  a  little  band  of 
Micronesians  had  learned  of  a  higher  life  and  were 
each  day  conscious  of  a  just  and  loving  Father — a 
Ruler  over  all  things. 

In  October,  i860,  after  nine  years  of  continuous, 
unselfish  service,  Dr.  Gulick  left  Micronesia  for 
Honolulu,  and  from  there  once  more  visited  the 
United  States,  where  from  city  to  city  he  journeyed 
and  lectured,  moving  the  masses  to  laughter  and 
tears  by  his  brilliant  public  addresses.  He  stood 
before  the  people  as  the  first  missionary  who  had 
returned  from  Micronesia,  and  their  interest  gave  to 
him  mental  and  physical  strength. 

In  1863  he  was  again  in  Hawaii,  having  accepted 


86  Pioneer  Missionaries 

the  position  of  secretary  of  the  Board  of  the  Ha- 
waiian Evangelical  Association.  His  duties  multi- 
plied. For  months  he  was  now  traveling,  counsel- 
ing, organizing  island  associations,  speaking  to  the 
natives,  ordaining  pastors,  establishing  churches,  be- 
sides editing  the  first  weekly  newsapaper  printed  in 
the  native  language.  He  was  the  one  genius  to 
organize  forces  and  marshal  men.  His  years  of 
faithful  and  earnest  toil  here  were  productive  of 
lasting  results,  and  the  impression  of  his  effective 
work  was  never  lost.  In  1870  his  labors  at  Hawaii 
ended. 

His  life  at  Micronesia  and  Hawaii  had  opened  the 
gate  to  greater  work  in  broader  fields.  His  brothers, 
six  of  them,  were  also  engaged  in  foreign  mission- 
ary work  and  a  sister  joined  the  same  service.  The 
prayer  of  his  aged  father,  that  his  children  might 
have  the  glorious  privilege  of  preaching  the  Gospel 
to  the  heathen,  was  answered.  China,  Japan,  Mi- 
cronesia, America  and  Spain  were  ministered  unto 
by  some  member  of  this  great  missionary  family, 
and  now,  when  his  oldest  son  was  sent  to  Spain,  the 
heart  of  the  father  was  touched.  The  rich  Spain  of 
fabled  castles  and  wealth  was  but  a  gorgeous  and 
contrasting  background  to  the  poverty-stricken  Spain 
of  wretchedness  and  suffering  which  this  s^lf-sacri- 
ficing  missionary  found. 

A  girls'  school  was  at  once  established  and  ar- 
rangements were  made  for  work  at  different  points. 


Luther  Halsey  Gulick  87 

Two  and  one-half  years  were  spent  in  arduous  work, 
when  Dr.  Gulick  was  sent  to  Italy.  In  August, 
1873,  he  was  in  the  sunny  southland.  What  a  con- 
trast! From  the  total  absence  of  all  art  in  Micro- 
nesia to  the  very  center  of  the  world's  art  in  Flor- 
ence! He  remained  here  a  few  months,  then  trav- 
eled extensively  through  Turkey,  Greece  and  East- 
ern countries,  laying  up  stores  of  knowledge  for 
future  use. 

After  twenty-five  years  of  work  for  the  American 
Board,  he  now  received  a  call  from  that  other  great 
missionary  body,  the  American  Bible  Society,  and  in 
their  behalf  Japan  and  China  were  offered  to  him  as 
a  field  for  work. 

His  work  was  now  in  the  far  East — in  the  Japan 
of  1876 — full  of  mysteries,  strange  Oriental  life  and 
dawning  civilization.  He  now  adjusted  himself  to 
meeting  new  faces  and  making  new  acquaintances 
and  missionary  connections. 

His  wife  and  little  family  joined  him  here  in  1877, 
and  this  happiness,  added  to  his  great  and  growing 
success,  left  no  wish  ungratified.  Large  responsi- 
bilities were  met  and  conquered.  He  united  the 
many  chains  which  connected  the  American  Mis- 
sions in  Japan  and  China  with  the  American  Bible 
Society  in  America.  The  circulation  of  the  Bible 
was  rapidly  and  wonderfully  increased.  In  1880 
the  sales  grew  to  be  phenomenal.  Thousands  of 
copies  were  sold  and  a  new  era  of  Bible  work  began 


88  Pioneer  Missionaries 

in  Japan.  He  writes :  "We  printed  and  distributed 
more  Scriptures  than  had  been  printed  and  distrib- 
uted during  all  the  previous  years  of  Bible  work  in 
Japan — over  eleven  million  pages  printed,  and  over 
ten  millions  sold."  He  felt  that  the  Bible  house  at 
Yokohama  was  one  of  the  grand  successes  of  his  life. 
His  plan  for  enlargement  was  followed  by  such  rapid 
results  during  the  first  five  years  of  his  connection 
with  the  Society  that  in  1881  the  larger  field  of 
China  was  assigned  to  him. 

His  journeys  were  frequent;  by  land  and  sea,  in 
storm  and  sunshine,  amid  comforts  and  discomforts, 
he  was  ever  helping  to  carry  the  Gospel  to  those  who 
had  it  not.  From  the  small  beginnings  at  Micro- 
nesia he  had  moved  onward  step  by  step  to  the  large- 
ness of  the  Orient.  Where  he  had  ministered  to 
hundreds  he  was  now  helping  millions,  carrying  the 
Bible  to  all.  Traces  of  his  work  were  everywhere 
seen  and  felt  long  after  he  was  no  more  in  their 
midst.  From  a  circulation  of  74,800  volumes,  in 
1878,  the  number  had  grown  to  252,875  copies,  in 
1887. 

In  connection  with  other  work  he  was  regularly 
preaching  in  the  Union  Church  at  Yokohama,  Japan, 
or  in  China.  Addresses,  lectures,  literary  work  on 
"The  Chinese  Recorder,"  and  editorial  work  on  the 
"Chinese  Medical  Journal"  claimed  hours  of  unspar- 
ing effort.  His  great  work  as  agent  of  the  Bible 
Society  for  the  whole  of  C^iina,  and,  finally,   for 


Luther  Halsey  Gulick  89 

Siam,  demanded  more  strength  than  he,  in  his  in- 
tense enthusiastic  activity,  was  able  to  give.  He 
returned  to  the  United  States,  weary  and  worn,  seek- 
ing for  renewed  strength,  which  came  not.  Each 
facuhy  had  been  strained  to  its  utmost.  The  heav- 
enly gate  opened  noiselessly  and  the  faithful  servant 
passed  triumphantly  to  the  land  of  rest  April  8,  1891. 
His  power  of  uplifting,  his  grasp  of  practical 
methods,  his  ability  to  organize,  together  with  the 
lasting  impress  made  upon  four  countries,  has  earned 
for  him  an  unfading  memory  among  those  who  have 
engaged  in  the  work  of  the  world's  evangelization. 


REV.  GUIDO  FRIDOLIN  VERBECK,  D.D. 

BORN   JANUARY   23,    183O. 


DIED  MARCH   10,   it 


For  nearly  forty  years  Guido  Verbeck  put  forth 
his  best  efforts  of  mind  and  body  to  transform  Old 
Japan,  with  its  prejudices,  barbarisms  and  igno- 
rance, into  New  Japan,  with  its  progress,  prosperity 
and  power, 

Holland,  America  and  Japan  claim  this  "master 
missionary"  as  their  son,  but  it  was  in  the  pictu- 
resque little  Dutch  town  of  Zeist  that  he  was  born 
January  23,  1830.  Here  in  a  home  of  loveliness 
and  peace  called  "The  Koppel,"  eight  little  ones  were 
carefully,  lovingly  trained  for  life.  Under  great 
arching  elms,  amid  the  fruit  orchards,  green  mead- 
ows, vegetable  and  flower  gardens,  little  canals  and 
rustic  bridges  this  boy  grew  to  love  nature,  man  and 
God.  In  the  little  Moravian  church  close  by,  with 
its  beautiful  and  impressive  ceremony,  he  was  con- 
firmed and  admitted  to  holy  communion,  and  from 
these  good  people  he  received  his  first  desire  for  mis- 
sionary work. 

In  the  Moravian  Institute  and  later  at  the  Poly- 
technic Institute  at  Utrecht,  he  spent  his  school-days, 


GUIIX)    KIUDOI.IN    VEKBECK 


Guido    Fridolin    Verbeck  91 

excelling  in  the  four  languages,  English,  French, 
German  and  Dutch. 

In  September,  1852,  he  left  Holland  for  America, 
the  land  of  opportunity.  After  spending  several 
months  in  the  west  as  a  civil  engineer,  he  came  east 
and  attended  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Auburn, 
New  York.  While  studying  here  for  the  ministry, 
he  often  preached  in  German  to  little  congregations 
from  the  beloved  Fatherland. 

An  appeal  from  Japan  came  to  the  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  America. 
Japan  needed  Christianity.  A  friendliness  had  long 
existed  between  Japan  and  Holland,  and  as  the  Re- 
formed Church  of  America  represented  both  Hol- 
landers and  Americans,  it  was  eminently  fitting  that 
the  "future  maker  of  Japan"  should  receive  and  ac- 
cept the  call  to  labor  in  that  eastern  land  of  thirty 
million  souls. 

On  Monday,  April  18,  1859,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Maria  Manion,  who  for  forty  years  was 
his  devoted  helpmeet  and  wise  counsellor.  A  month 
later  they  sailed  from  New  York  with  two  other 
missionaries  and  their  brave  wives,  and  on  Novem- 
ber 7,  1859,  after  stopping  at  Java,  Hongkong,  and 
Shanghai,  their  little  vessel  steamed  up  the  beauti- 
ful Nagasaki  harbor,  its  waters  bathed  in  moonlight, 
and  its  city  nestling  at  the  foot  of  Japan's  verdure- 
crowned  hills. 

This  youthful  missionary  was  now  confronting  a 


92  Pioneer  Missionaries 

land  whose  peculiar  policy  of  isolation  had  for  ages 
separated  it  from  other  nations;  whose  ruling  dy- 
nasty boasted  of  forty-six  centuries  of  unbroken  suc- 
cession; whose  allegiance  to  Buddhism  since  its  in- 
troduction, in  552  A.  D.,  was  a  mighty  influence; 
whose  old  systems  of  intrigues,  feudalism  and  in- 
quisition, which  resulted  in  torture,  imprisonment, 
crucifixion  and  impalement  on  the  bamboo  cross,  had 
been  countenanced  for  centuries.  He  was  confront- 
ing a  people  who,  since  1624,  had  banished  from 
their  shores  all  foreigners  except  the  Dutch  and  Chi- 
nese, and  who  had  forbidden  their  own  inhabitants 
to  leave  the  country.  He  had  come  with  the  hope  of 
gaining  a  triumph  over  a  religion  which  had  no 
moral  code,  and  consisted  largely  in  imitation  and 
deification  of  illustrious  ancestors,  veneration  of  fire 
and  light  and  inculcation  of  obedience  to  the  will  of 
the  great  Mikado. 

Nagasaki  was  then  the  only  port  which  had  any 
foreign  intercourse,  commerce  and  traffic  with  Eu- 
ropeans and  Chinese.  Here  Dutch  ships  came 
bringing  stray  bits  of  news;  Chinese  junks  brought 
an  occasional  book,  European  trading  vessels  left 
some  trifle  of  the  outside  world's  new  science. 

Slender  threads  were  these,  yet  the  great  Murato 
had  once  picked  up  a  book  from  the  waves  and 
sought  to  learn  its  contents;  other  men  had  begun 
to  think  seriously,  and  in  1859  there  were  in  Japan 
hundreds  of  persons  seeking  for  light,  inquiring  into 


Guido    Fridolin    Verbeck  93 

the  secrets  of  power  held  by  western  nations,  and 
even  wishing  and  waiting  quietly  for  the  overthrow 
of  the  Yedo  government,  priestcraft,  and  the  old 
dynasties. 

After  much  difficulty  and  continued  search  Mr. 
Verbeck  at  last  found  a  house.  Among  the  eighty 
thousand  inhabitants  few  knew  he  was  a  missionary, 
and  this  was  well.  His  first  aim,  like  that  of  a  true 
teacher,  was  to  gain  the  confidence  of  the  people. 
Patiently  he  waited,  not  yet  preaching,  as  he  had 
before  him  the  tedious  and  arduous  task  of  learning 
the  Japanese  language.  Then,  too,  was  he  not 
bound  by  treaties  and  authorities  to  desist  from  open 
propagation  of  a  prohibited  religion?  Did  he  not 
see  and  read  on  little  notice  boards  in  all  public 
places  of  the  reward  oft'ered  for  violators  of  this  law  ? 
So,  quietly  in  his  study,  with  eyes  weary  and  in- 
flamed from  constant  study  of  the  queer  Japanese 
and  Chinese  characters,  he  daily  bent  over  his  gram- 
mar and  dictionary,  happy  in  the  present,  trusting 
for  the  future. 

This  "foremost  teacher  of  the  Japanese"  com- 
menced his  great  work  with  a  little  Bible  class  of 
two  young  men.  For  these  two  he  labored,  prepar- 
ing "helps,"  explaining  phrases,  discussing  thoughts, 
and  assigning  work.  They  also  came  to  him  for 
English  lessons.  This  work  was  a  stepping-stone 
to  the  reading  of  the  New  Testament  and  Constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States. 


94  Pioneer  Missionaries 

Political  clouds  gathered.  At  Yedo,  the  regent 
had  signed  the  Harris  American  Treaty.  What  ene- 
mies this  act  caused !  What  intense  anger  was 
aroused!  On  March  23,  i860,  a  band  of  men 
attacked  the  regent's  escort  and  a  battle  ensued. 
Assassinations,  incendiarisms,  threatenings,  conspir- 
acies, murders  were  perpetrated. 

A  political  upheaval  ensued  and  troubles  so  thick- 
ened that  at  one  time  the  lives  of  all  foreigners  were 
in  danger  of  being  sacrificed.  Mr.  Verbeck  was 
warned  to  flee  for  his  life,  and  with  his  wife  and 
family  he  sought  shelter  on  the  island  of  Deshima, 
fronting  the  town,  and  later  fled  to  Shanghai ;  but 
at  the  first  opportunity,  when  the  outlook  for  peace 
was  more  hopeful,  he  was  again  back  at  Nagasaki. 
Although  actual  danger  was  past,  great  apprehen- 
sion still  prevailed. 

Squadrons  from  Great  Britain,  France,  Holland 
and  the  United  States  had  gathered,  fought  and  con- 
quered, and  the  Japanese  had  become  convinced  that 
in  warfare  with  these  foreigners  they  were  at  a  dis- 
advantage. These  secluded  people,  who  had  obsti- 
nately lived  in  the  darkness  of  antiquity  in  their 
"holy  land  of  mists  and  riddles"  emerged  through 
shot  and  shell,  conquered  by  a  mightier  force,  a  supe- 
rior skill.  Wise  was  their  resolution  not  to  oppose 
foreigners,  but  learn  of  them  the  full  secrets  of  their 
greater  power.     Doors  of  greater  usefulness  were 


Guido    Fridolin    Verbeck  95 

opening  and  opportunities  for  higher  work  were 
coming  to  Mr.  Verbeck. 

The  government  soon  founded  a  school  of  foreign 
languages  and  sciences,  and  Mr.  Verbeck  was  made 
its  principal  at  a  salary  of  twelve  hundred  dollars  a 
year,  enabling  him  for  many  years  to  be  a  self-sup- 
porting missionary.  In  1866,  this  leading  educator 
of  Japan  assisted  two  young  Japanese  students  to 
come  to  America,  the  first  of  a  host,  and  the  begin- 
ning of  that  mighty  westward  movement  which  fol- 
lowed. These  young  men  were  helped  in  various 
ways  by  the  Reformed  Church  and  Mission  Board 
through  the  intercession  of  Mr.  Verbeck. 

From  the  powerful  Murato  came  messages,  ask- 
ing for  explanations  of  the  Scriptures  or  requests  for 
Chinese  literature.  In  May,  1866,  what  was  his  joy 
and  surprise  to  see  Murato  appear  at  his  home  with 
his  two  sons  and  a  long  train  of  followers.  He  said : 
"I  am  ready  to  believe  what  Jesus  taught  and  follow 
him."  He  related  the  touching  little  story  of  how 
he  found  a  book  on  the  waves,  that  it  proved  to  be 
the  New  Testament;  he  told  of  his  difficulties  in 
securing  its  translation,  of  its  great  comfort  to  him. 
The  interview  lasted  for  hours.  Then  Murato  asked 
to  be  baptized.  On  the  following  Sunday  he,  with 
his  two  sons,  quietly,  solemnly  received  baptism  in 
Mr.  Verbeck's  little  parlor.  How  happy  was  the 
patient  toiler!     This,  his  first  baptism  of  Christian 


96  Pioneer  Missionaries 

converts,  filled  his  heart  with  gratitude.  Until  his 
death  Murato  faithfully  followed  Christ's  com- 
mands, and  at  one  time  devoted  himself  assiduously 
to  translating  portions  of  the  Bible  from  Chinese  in- 
to Japanese. 

Japanese  princes  sought  Mr.  Verbeck,  extended 
favors  to  him,  and  earnestly  begged  that  he  would 
establish  schools  elsewhere.  Distinguished  men  of 
great  influence  came  to  seek  his  counsel ;  young  men 
who  afterward  held  various  government  offices  as 
heads  of  home  and  foreign  departments,  cabinet  min- 
isters and  diplomatists,  were  daily  under  his  influ- 
ence. How  largely  that  influence  was  exerted  for 
all  that  is  highest  and  noblest  in  a  nation's  life  the 
results  accomplished  in  later  years  demonstrated. 
Was  not  his  studious  Soyeshima  in  1873  received  at 
Peking  by  the  Chinese  Emperor  as  an  envoy  plenipo- 
tentiary from  Japan  ?  Did  not  his  attentive  Okuma 
become  a  member  of  the  privy  council  of  the  Gov- 
ernor-General of  Krushiu,  and  was  not  his  aid  of 
inestimable  value  in  the  revision  of  the  nation's  con- 
stitution ? 

In  1868  occurred  the  rise  of  the  princes  against 
the  Shogun.  After  a  brief  revolution  feudalism 
was  overthrown,  the  Tycoon  retired,  the  government 
was  changed  to  its  ancient  form,  the  Mikado  became 
the  only  ruler  of  Japan,  and  the  empire  took  an  im- 
portant place  in  the  family  of  nations.  This  march 
of  events  led  to  more  liberal  views  in  regard  to 


Guido   Fridolin  Verbeck  97 

religion.  New  activities  opened  for  this  tireless 
leader  of  men.  In  October,  1868,  he  sailed  for 
Osaka,  that  great  commercial  center  of  Old  Japan. 
Here,  with  the  eye  of  a  practical  engineer,  he  noted 
improvements  in  buildings,  streets,  bridges  and 
waterways,  but  with  the  eye  of  a  far-seeing  mission- 
ary he  noted  the  intelligence  of  the  people,  their  capa- 
bilities, vigor,  industry  and  increasing  thirst  for 
knowledge. 

A  movement  was  made  for  the  establishment  of  a 
government  school  in  Yedo,  with  Mr.  Verbeck  as 
one  of  four  teachers.  Instruction  in  military  sci- 
ence, in  political  science,  criminal  law  and  medicine 
was  desired.  Who  would  not  urge  forward  this 
movement  ?  Mr.  Verbeck,  ever  ready  for  the  higher 
advancement  of  his  people,  favorably  considered  this 
government  appointment,  and  so,  after  ten  years  of 
quiet,  unseen,  yet  far-reaching,  and  solid  founda- 
tion work  in  the  safe,  southwestern  port  of  Naga- 
saki, he  came  to  Yedo,  the  Eastern  capital  and  the 
nation's  center,  to  labor  among  a  people  who  cher- 
ished a  strong,  anti-foreign  feeling.  Larger  oppor- 
tunities for  shaping  the  nation's  course  here  awaited 
him.  Education,  the  foundation  of  a  nation's  ad- 
vancement, and  Christianity,  the  mightiest  power  in 
true  civilization,  were  now  largely  directed  by  him. 
An  Imperial  University  was  the  secret  hope  of  all. 
Thirty-six  of  his  old  pupils  followed  him  to  Yedo, 
and  hundreds  of  young  people  were  soon  under  his 


98  Pioneer  Missionaries 

direct  influence.  His  teaching,  lectures,  addresses, 
translations  of  works  on  law  and  political  economy, 
together  with  New  and  Old  Testament  translations, 
catechisms,  and  tracts  occupied  every  hour  of  each 
day  and  far  too  many  of  each  night. 

During  1869  the  name  of  Yedo  was  changed  to 
Tokio,  and  on  the  first  day  of  this  year  the  foreign 
quarter  of  Tokio,  as  well  as  Niigata,  were  opened  to 
trade. 

Japan,  that  secluded,  ocean-bound  nation,  had 
opened  its  gateway  to  enlightened  civilization.  The 
United  States  and  Europe  served  as  models  for  many 
improvements.  In  the  army  and  navy,  in  merchan- 
dise, machinery,  telegraph  and  railway  systems,  in 
law,  medicine  and  all  sciences,  western  systems  were 
introduced.  There  was  everywhere  a  demand,  a 
yearning  for  western  knowledge.  More  students 
sought  for  admission  into  the  great  school.  By 
1870  Mr.  Verbeck  had  engaged  twelve  foreigners  to 
teach  in  the  college  of  which  he  was  principal,  and  in 
March,  1871,  he  wrote:  "At  the  opening  of  our  new 
term  a  month  ago,  we  had  one  thousand  students 
minus  four;  more  than  two  hundred  having  been 
refused  admittance  for  want  of  accommodation." 
Surely  he  was  no  longer  working  unseen,  unknown, 
for  throughout  the  entire  empire  his  work,  his  life 
and  his  success  were  known,  honored  and  loved. 

He  was  constantly  consulted  by  government  offi- 
cers with  reference  to  national  affairs.     It  was  he 


Guido  Fridolin  Verbeck  99 

who  recommended  that  German  be  Japan's  medium 
of  medical  science;  it  was  he  who  advised  Iwakura 
that  Japan  form  a  national  army,  navy  and  coast 
defence;  it  was  he  who,  always  ready  and  ever 
wisely,  gave  these  people  his  advice  upon  matters 
vital  to  the  best  interests.  His  wisdom  was  a  potent 
factor  in  the  development  of  the  country.  So  great 
was  the  reputation  he  had  gained,  so  great  was  the 
confidence  he  had  won,  that  from  any  and  every  part 
of  the  empire  came  people  from  the  highest  to  the 
lowest  class  to  consult  with  him  upon  any  and  every 
subject — and  all  this  was  given  freely,  willingly,  lov- 
ingly, and  in  five  difi;erent  languages. 

Among  the  world's  great  events  of  1871  was  the 
dispatch  of  Japan's  great  embassy  to  America  and 
Europe.  In  this  supreme  movement  Guido  F.  Ver- 
beck was  the  wise  originator,  the  silent  organizer; 
for,  two  years  previous,  on  June  11,  1869,  he  had 
proposed,  outlined  and  sent  to  Okuma  this  wonder- 
ful plan.  By  this  embassy  Mr.  Verbeck  hoped  to 
accomplish,  or  at  least  bring  nearer,  the  desired  tol- 
eration of  Christianity  in  this  Sunrise  Land.  What 
an  awakening  soul-satisfying  visit  was  that  of 
Japan's  leading  statesmen  to  western  countries! 
What  a  wise  route  had  been  planned  for  them  by 
their  great  educational  leader !  Through  them  their 
nation  solved  the  problem  of  the  greater  power  in 
other  countries — learned  that  Christianity  stands 
first  and  foremost.     Impressions  and  convictions  tel- 


loo  Pioneer  Missionaries 

egraphed  by  them  to  their  home  country  caused  new 
life-giving  currents  to  set  into  motion  the  nation's 
vast,  yet  unused  machinery  of  capabiHties.  Anti- 
Christian  edicts,  prohibiting  the  introduction  of  for- 
eign rehgions,  disappeared  from  the  pubhc  walls  of 
the  cities ;  the  old  order  of  things  was  fast  changing 
to  the  new.  The  time  for  which  Guido  Verbeck  had 
longed,  prayed  and  worked  was  near  at  hand. 

Modestly,  but  with  characteristic  tact,  Mr.  Ver- 
beck wrote  out  and  gave  to  the  Minister  of  Religious 
Affairs  a  "Rough  Sketch  of  Laws  and  Regulations 
for  the  Better  Control  of  Church  Affairs  in  Japan," 
showing  what  might  be  done.  These  eighty-one 
articles  had  recjuired  hours  of  the  deepest  thought, 
but  how  cheerfully  given  to  a  land  awakened,  in- 
spired, triumphant;  where  toleration  had  been  won, 
fanaticism  conquered,  persecution  abandoned,  priest- 
craft rebuked,  Buddhism  disestablished,  Christian 
churches  organized,  and  civilization  adopted. 

After  occasional  visits  to  his  old  home  in  Zeist,  to 
other  European  countries,  and  to  the  United  States, 
after  speaking  everywhere  for  the  cause  of  Japan, 
he  was  again  back  among  his  people,  ofifering  incal- 
culable aid  to  the  government,  being  in  1874  its 
direct  adviser.  In  1877  his  services  with  the  gov- 
ernment ceased.  As  a  testimony  to  his  long,  loyal, 
and  valuable  service,  the  Emperor  bestowed  upon 
him  the  decoration  of  the  third  class  of  the  Order  of 
the  Rising  Sun. 


Guido   Fridolin  Verbeck  loi 

With  great  activity  he  now  devoted  his  superb 
energies  to  organizing  churches,  lecturing,  preach- 
ing, translating  and  teaching.  In  July,  1887,  he 
completed  his  translation  of  the  Psalms,  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  and  successful  of  missionary  transla- 
tions. In  1889  he  was  in  Europe  and  America  vis- 
iting and  speaking  in  many  of  the  Reformed 
Churches.  In  the  fall  of  1897  his  health  demanded 
a  lessening  of  labor.  The  life  given  unceasingly  for 
others  wore  out  rapidly,  and  on  March  10,  i8g8, 
the  telegraph  wires  carried  the  sad  news  of  his  death. 

A  faithful  leader,  a  devoted  friend,  a  loving 
brother,  constantly  ministering  to  his  fellow-men, 
ever  toiling  for  their  highest  good,  and  for  their 
country's  greatest  power  had  been  the  aim  of  this  un- 
selfish worker,  "Verbeck  of  Japan."  It  was  largely 
his  discernment  of  capabilities,  his  direction,  his  ad- 
vice, that  helped  Japan  to  surprise  the  world  in  1894. 

What  heights  may  yet  be  attained  by  the  Japan- 
ese, what  goal  may  yet  be  won,  actuated  by  his  power 
and  influence,  the  future  alone  can  show. 


ALEXANDER    DUFF,    D.D.,  LL.D. 

Born    April    25,    1806. 
Died  February  12,  1878. 

Conspicuous  among  those  whose  achievements 
have  formed  an  essential  factor  in  the  enHghtenment 
of  India  is  the  name  of  Alexander  Duff.  He  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  the  little  village  of  Moulin,  Scot- 
land, on  April  25,  1806.  His  parents  belonged  to 
that  sturdy  race  of  Scottish  yeomen  whose  self-reli- 
ance and  dauntless  courage  have  contributed  greatly 
to  Scotland's  success.  His  father's  deep  sympathy 
and  interest  in  foreign  missions  were  imparted  to  his 
boy,  and  some  of  the  granitic  power  and  endurance 
of  the  distant  Grampian  hills  seemed  to  become  a 
part  of  his  character. 

In  1814  he  attended  an  academy  near  Dunkeld, 
and  then  spent  three  years  at  Kirkmichael  School. 
Later,  at  the  University  of  St.  Andrews,  under  the 
ennobling  influence  of  the  great  Dr.  Chalmers,  that 
ardent  and  enthusiastic  worker  and  eloquent  preach- 
er, he  was  aroused  to  offer  his  life  for  foreign 
missions. 

Nothing  deterred  this  young  man  of  indomitable 
energy,  and  with  his  youthful  wife,  his  constant  and 


Alexander  DufF  103 

faithful  helpmeet,  he  sailed  for  Calcutta,  India,  on 
October  14,  1829,  on  the  Lady  Holland. 

Few  voyages  have  been  more  perilous.  One  dan- 
ger was  passed  only  to  meet  a  greater  in  the  destruc- 
tive force  of  raging  winds  and  waves.  At  Madeira, 
where  they  landed,  a  violent  hurricane  struck  the 
ship  and  ruthlessly  swept  it  out  to  sea,  where  for 
three  weeks  its  fate  was  unknown.  When  it  re- 
turned and  the  passengers  re-embarked,  they  imme- 
diately learned  of  neighboring  pirates,  and  for  safety 
sought  the  protection  of  the  Cape  Verde  Islands.  On 
the  African  coast  a  furious  gale  dashed  the  fated  ship 
on  hidden  rocks.  By  skillful  management  small 
boats  brought  the  passengers  through  the  driving 
surge  to  a  desert  island,  where  for  some  time  they 
subsisted  on  penguins'  eggs,  which  they  cooked  on 
fires  made  of  dried  grass  and  seaweed.  All  their 
possessions,  including  Mr.  Duff's  large  and  valuable 
library,  were  lost  in  this  shipwreck.  A  brig  from 
Cape  Town  at  last  rescued  them,  but  here  they  were 
again  delayed  until,  by  the  payment  of  two  hundred 
and  sixty-two  pounds  more  than  the  original  fare, 
they  secured  a  passage  in  March,  1830,  on  a  long- 
looked-for  ship  bound  for  Calcutta.  Destructive 
winds  constantly  impeded  their  course  for  eight 
weeks,  when  the  storm-tossed  ship  at  last  reached 
the  mouth  of  the  Ganges ;  but  immediately  upon  the 
dropping  of  the  anchor,  a  fierce  monsoon  came 
sweeping  upon  them  with  terrific  fury,  and  the  rag- 


I04  Pioneer  Missionaries 

ing  cyclone  which  succeeded  tossed  and  whirled  their 
little  ship,  and  at  last  lifting  it,  dropped  it  upon  the 
shore  of  an  island  shattered,  shipwrecked,  sinking — 
a  piteous  spectacle.  In  extreme  peril,  the  twice  ship- 
wrecked passengers,  by  means  of  trees,  were  dragged 
to  the  shore  of  a  Hindoo  village,  where  a  temple  af- 
forded shelter  until  boats  came  which  conveyed  them 
to  Calcutta. 

Despite  eight  months  of  continual  peril  and  dan- 
ger. Dr.  Dufif's  heart  was  full  of  hopefulness,  faith 
and  courage.  Robbed  of  all  but  a  Bible  and  Psalm- 
book  he  yet  possessed  all  in  his  never-failing  faith  in 
his  Divine  Protector.  The  superstitious  Hindoos, 
learning  of  his  frightful  disasters  and  miraculous 
escapes,  at  once  believed  the  gods  favored  him  above 
all  others,  and  on  account  of  these  very  hardships, 
they  were  ready  to  give  more  willing  heed  to  his 
message. 

Dr.  Duff  immediately  began  organizing  work. 
Although  vigorously  opposed,  he  decided  to  open  a 
school  in  Calcutta,  instead  of  in  some  neighboring 
town  as  other  missionaries  had  done.  Rammohun 
Roy,  a  high  caste  Brahman,  who  had  denounced  the 
corruptions  of  Brahmanism  and  was  then  at  the  head 
of  the  reformed  party,  had  a  school  of  his  own.  He 
learned  of  Dr.  Dufif's  plan  and  knew  that  he  could 
secure  neither  rooms  nor  pupils  because  the  Bible, 
that  book  of  horrors  to  the  Hindoo,  was  to  be  studied 
in  this  new  school.     When  the  object  seemed  hope- 


Alexander  DufF  105 

less  to  Dr.  Duff,  Rammohun  Roy  came  forward  and 
not  only  generously  offered  his  support  and  sym- 
pathy, but  said,  "You  may  have  the  building  in 
which  I  have  my  school."  Not  fully  satisfied  with 
this  noble  offer,  he  added,  "1  will  influence  my  own 
pupils  to  attend  your  school."  This,  to  Dr.  Duff, 
meant  success,  and  from  that  time  the  two  men  were 
warm  friends  and  labored  for  a  common  cause — 
Christian  education. 

The  school  opened  July  13,  1830,  with  a  satisfac- 
tory number  of  pupils.  Dr.  Duff,  expecting  opposi- 
tion to  his  plan  for  Bible  readings,  fortified  himself 
by  procuring  copies  of  the  Gospel  in  Bengalee,  and 
also  by  learning  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  Bengalee.  The 
moment  came.  Unflinchingly  he  stood  before  them, 
and  phrase  after  phrase  of  that  prayer  was  unfalter- 
ingly uttered  and  dutifully  repeated  by  the  pupils. 
His  personal  magnetism,  together  with  his  strength 
and  firmness,  carried  them  all  word  by  word  to  its 
close.  Then  came  the  most  critical  test.  With  no 
sign  of  weakness  or  distrust  he  distributed  copies  of 
the  Gospels  and  requested  a  pupil  to  read.  Silence 
followed.  An  unmistakable  disgust  was  discernible 
on  the  faces  of  the  superstitious  pupils.  A  threaten- 
ing murmur  of  rebellion  arose  against  the  contami- 
nating books,  when  instantly  Rammohun  Roy  rose, 
and  in  the  kindest  of  tones  said  to  the  pupils :  'T 
have  read  this  entire  Bible  all  through.  I  have  re- 
ceived no  harm  from  it.     You  will  receive  no  harm 


io6  Pioneer  Missionaries 

from  it."  Words  of  assurance  followed,  and  when 
he  finished  speaking,  the  students  were  ready  to  read 
the  Gospels.  A  victory  was  won,  and  from  this 
began  Dr.  Duff's  startling  inroads  on  the  prejudices 
and  superstitions  of  Hindoo  families. 

Dr.  Duff's  originality  and  enthusiasm  in  his  work 
brought  such  unexpected  results  and  universal  admi- 
ration that  he  was  soon  earnestly  solicited  to  open  a 
school  of  similar  character  in  Bengal.  His  constant 
aim  was  to  enlighten  the  husbands,  fathers  and 
brothers  of  the  land.  Lectures  were  given  to  about 
fifty  young  Hindoos  of  high  caste,  and  so  wisely  did 
he  lead  them  that  at  the  close  of  the  season  four 
young  men  became  converts  and  abandoned  the  de- 
basing traditions  of  their  fathers. 

Being  constantly  encouraged,  he  urged  the  advis- 
ability of  establishing  a  college.  Aid  in  the  project 
came  unexpectedly  from  Lord  Macaulay,  that  fa- 
mous English  essayist  and  historian  who  was  sent 
out  in  1834  as  an  additional  or  law  member  of  the 
Governor-General's  Council.  His  first  question  to 
consider  was  whether  the  higher  education  of  the 
natives  should  be  carried  on  in  the  Eastern  classic  or 
in  the  English  language.  This  was  a  question  strong- 
ly debated  and  disputed,  but  Macaulay  presented  the 
advisability  of  using  English  with  such  convincing 
clearness  that  after  a  warm  argument  the  measure 
was  carried.  English  language  and  literature  were 
to  be  studied  in  all  established  colleges  under  British 


Alexander  DufF  107 

control.  Schools  and  colleges  should  admit  all 
classes  and  caste  distinctions  should  be  abolished. 
This  was  another  great  victory,  and  to  Dr.  Duff's 
untiring  efforts  a  great  share  is  due. 

His  next  great  plan  was  to  establish  an  English 
college  of  medicine.  The  Brahman's  superstitious 
prejudices  of  touching  a  lifeless  body  must  be  over- 
come for  the  advancement  of  anatomical  knowledge. 
His  own  pupils  were  soon  led  to  see  the  wisdom  of 
his  plan,  and  became  enthusiastic.  On  January  28, 
1835,  an  order  was  issued  by  the  Governor-General 
for  a  college.  Hundreds  soon  came  for  instruction ; 
the  number  increased  daily;  the  thousands  now 
prove  it  to  be  one  of  the  largest  medical  institutions 
of  the  world,  and  Dr.  Duff  was  indirectly  one  of  the 
originators  of  that  great  work  which  has  brought 
alleviation  to  the  physical  sufferings  of  India's  mil- 
lions. 

The  old  Kirk  of  St.  Andrews,  established  twenty- 
two  years  previous,  had  passed  through  troublous 
and  unfortunate  years.  Dr.  Duff,  already  over- 
worked, was  assured  he  was  the  only  one  who  could 
take  the  place  of  the  departing  and  toil-worn  Dr. 
Bryce.  Duty  and  love  found  a  way  to  assume  this 
added  work.  Beginning  with  twenty  members,  in 
less  than  a  year  he  was  preaching  to  eight  hundred 
earnest  souls.  His  influence  as  their  pastor  was 
greatly  extended.  One  of  his  first  reforms  was  to 
bring  about  an  observance  of  the  Christian  Sabbath. 


io8  Pioneer  Missionaries 

Everywhere  he  was  changing  laxity  and  skepticism 
into  strength  and  belief,  yet  all  was  done  delicately 
and  skillfully. 

His  work  was  interrupted  for  a  time.  A  deadly 
pestilence  swept  over  the  land.  A  missionary  jour- 
ney in  the  interior  through  a  cyclone-devastated  and 
pestilential  district  caused  the  exhausted  man  to  suc- 
cumb to  jungle  fever,  a  further  recurrence  of  which 
necessitated  a  voyage  to  England. 

Dr.  Duff  found  his  home  people  indifferent  to 
missions,  but  after  a  few  addresses  by  this  earnest, 
eloquent  speaker,  enthusiasm  was  aroused.  His 
speeches  caused  a  deep  sensation.  He  was  soon 
urged  to  speak  in  many  churches  of  Scotland.  He 
was  so  eloquent,  so  devoted,  that  his  hearers  sat 
spellbound  as  they  listened  to  his  graphic  descrip- 
tions of  that  land  enslaved  in  ignorance  and  supersti- 
tion. His  name  soon  spread  throughout  Scotland. 
Everywhere  he  enlisted  aid  and  sympathy  for  India. 
He  traveled  continually  for  two  and  one-half  years, 
greatly  increasing  the  interest  in  foreign  missionary 
work,  materially  increasing  the  annual  revenue,  and 
arousing  four  young  people  to  engage  in  the  work, 
whose  labors  to-day  are  a  lasting  monument  to  Dr. 
Duff's  consecration,  earnestness  and  inspiration. 

In  the  autumn  of  1839  he  returned  to  India.  Grat- 
ifying indeed  were  the  results  which  he  now  saw  of 
his  ten  years'  work  there.  Here  was  a  new  church 
with  consecrated  workers ;  trained  physicians  greeted 


Alexander  Duff  109 

him,  and  tlie  astonishing  growth  of  his  own  institu- 
tion, with  its  seven  hundred  pupils,  filled  his  heart 
with  gratitude. 

With  zeal  greater  than  ever,  he  again  took  up  his 
work.  Now  he  was  making  arrangements  for  train- 
ing the  native  teachers  to  be  effective  helpers,  again 
he   was   lecturing,    organizing   classes    for    Sunday 

readings,  establishing  mission  schools  and  preach- 
ing. 

The  foundation  principles  of  the  ancient  and  inde- 
pendent Kirk  of  Scotland  were  threatened,  and 
finally  the  British  Parliament  was  called  upon  to  pass 
judgment.  A  succession  of  unfortunate  collisions 
between  the  ecclesiastical  and  civil  courts  led  to 
catastrophe,  disruption  and  final  separation  from  the 
Established  Church  of  Scotland.  The  "Free 
Church  of  Scotland"  was  born  in  1843  ^^^y  i*"*  the 
annals  of  church  history,  no  event  is  more  unique. 
This  disturbance  in  Scotland  affected  the  Scotch  mis- 
sions in  India.  Disruption  meant  for  Dr.  Duff  the 
severance  of  many  sacred  ties  of  long  standing.  It 
seemed  doubtful  if  the  Free  Church  could  support 
the  missions.  An  offer  to  pay  for  the  great  college 
and  its  belongings  was  made,  but  as  the  overtures 
were  not  met  favorably.  Dr.  Duff  left  the  buildingr, 
opened  another  college  in  March,  1844,  with  the 
same  teachers,  the  same  missionaries,  and  over  one 
thousand  students.  Donations  poured  in  for  the 
new  buildings,  and  the  movement,  which  was  so 


1 1  o  Pioneer  Missionaries 

threatening,  served  but  to  stimulate,  for  remarkable 
spiritual  activity  was  now  seen.  Many  baptisms  of 
influential  Hindoos  soon  followed,  but  each  conver- 
sion aroused  such  intense  excitement  and  indigna- 
tion among  the  bigoted  natives,  that  the  life  of  Dr. 
Duff  was  at  one  time  in  danger.  Arrangements 
were  made  with  hired  assassins  to  kill  him,  and  thus 
arrest  the  spread  of  the  new  religion.  Warnings 
were  given  him  by  devoted  Hindoos,  and  his  life  was 
spared. 

In  1844,  beside  accepting  the  duties  of  editor  of 
the  Calcutta  Quarterly,  he  used  every  effort  to  estab- 
lish a  public  hospital  in  Calcutta,  an  institution  sadly 
needed  in  those  days  of  sickness  and  destitution.  The 
plan  resulted  in  the  erection  of  the  largest  hospital  in 
the  world.  It  adjoins  the  Medical  College.  Chris- 
tian doctors  and  nurses  were  trained  for  the  work 
and  are  now  in  attendance.  One-third  of  a  million 
people  are  annually  nursed  and  tenderly  cared  for 
within  its  ten  buildings. 

In  1847  I^^-  Duff  traveled  extensively  through 
Southern  India.  In  almost  every  town  he  preached 
and  examined  the  schools.  Now  he  was  pained  at 
the  horrors  of  ignorant  idol-worship,  superstition, 
animism,  and  fetishism,  and  again  he  was  rejoiced 
to  find  Christian  schools  supplanting  devil-temples. 
This  southern  trip  was  followed  by  long  journeys 
throughout  Northern  India. 

In  May,  1850,  he  was  again  in  his  native  Edin- 


Alexander  DufF  1 1 1 

burgh.  Here  he  was  needed,  and  to  him  was  given 
the  work  of  putting  the  foreign  missions  of  the  Free 
Church  on  a  firm  and  independent  basis.  This  he 
consented  to  do,  but  dechned  the  honor  offered  to 
succeed  Dr.  Chalmers  as  principal  of  the  New  Col- 
lege in  Edinburgh.  With  a  magnificent,  yet  prac- 
tical sweep  of  oratory  he  delivered  five  great  speeches 
before  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Free  Church. 
For  over  three  years  he  gave  his  entire  attention, 
strength  and  time  to  the  work  of  addressing  every 
presbytery,  synod  and  congregation  of  Scotland 
connected  with  the  Free  Church.  Thousands  came 
to  hear  this  man  and  five  hundred  associations  were 
organized,  which  still  contribute  generously  a  reli- 
able income  to  the  foreign  missions  of  the  Free 
Church. 

In  February,  1854,  Dr.  Duff  came  to  America, 
where  in  all  the  large  cities  east  and  west  he  received 
such  overwhelming  support  and  applause  that  he 
writes :  "I  am  lost  in  wonder  and  amazement." 
Everywhere  he  aroused  the  people  to  the  necessity 
of  enlightening  and  reclaiming  India's  outcasts. 
Few  missionaries,  or  indeed  great  orators,  were  ever 
received  and  greeted  with  such  enthusiasm. 

While  the  expression  of  such  deep  interest  was 
most  gratifying,  the  constant  requests  for  addresses, 
never  refused,  were  responded  to  at  the  cost  of  the 
very  life  of  this  self-sacrificing,  self-denying  mis- 
sionary.    "Never  did  any  man  leave  our  shores  so 


I  I  2  Pioneer  Missionaries 

encircled  with  Christian  sympathy  and  affection"  has 
been  said  of  Dr.  Duff's  departure.  His  long  and 
arduous  travels  for  five  years  resulted  in  a  mental 
and  physical  prostration,  which  compelled  him  to 
seek  a  prolonged  rest.  This  time  of  recuperation 
he  spent  in  Southern  Europe  and  the  Orient. 

In  1856  he  was  once  more  in  Calcutta,  advising, 
organizing  and  planning  greater  deeds. 

In  1857  Dr.  Duff  and  his  dear  ones  were  in  the 
midst  of  the  horrible  and  well-known  mutinies  of 
India.  The  severe  blow  to  the  prestige  of  British 
power  had  been  given.  They  were  on  every  side 
exposed  to  imminent  peril.  Panics,  massacres,  tor- 
tures rose  to  an  unparalleled  height  of  cruelty.  Each 
day  there  occurred  new  and  worse  tortures.  Bar- 
barity and  treachery  ruled  everywhere.  India  was 
at  last  saved  to  England,  but  at  what  a  cost  of  life ! 

In  1863  Dr.  Duff  bade  farewell  to  India.  Valu- 
able presents  were  given  to  him,  addresses  were 
made  in  his  honor,  University  Scholarships  were  en- 
dowed with  his  name,  and  Scottish  merchants  pre- 
sented him  with  a  house  in  Edinburgh  and  eleven 
thousand  pounds,  but  his  most  lasting  monument  in 
India  is  his  good  work  left  upon  thousands  of  souls. 

Public  duties  and  large  responsibilities  claimed 
him  until  his  death  in  February,  1878. 

He  grandly  evinced  a  constant  devotion  to  Christ 
to  the  last  day  of  his  life.  He  gave  such  a  new  im- 
pulse to  civilization  in  India  by  his  schools,  missions, 


Alexander  DufF  1 1  3 

churches,  colleges,  medical  institution  and  hospital, 
and  by  his  promotion  of  arts,  sciences  and  Christi- 
anity that  the  new  order  is  his  most  enduring  monu- 
ment. In  him  was  the  embodiment  of  those  quali- 
ties which  ever  promote  the  highest  progress  of  civ- 
ilization. 


CYRUS    HAMLIN,  D.D.,   LL.D. 

Born   January  5,  181 1. 
Died    August  8,    1900. 

A  genuinely  Christian  and  true  educational  influ- 
ence throughout  all  Turkey  was  exerted  through  t' 
efforts  and  achievements  of  Dr.  Cyrus  Hamlin.  No 
matter  what  other  and  greater  triumphs  may  be  at- 
tained, or  what  other  men  may  arise,  Dr.  Hamlin 
will  always  be  famous  for  laying  one  of  the  corner- 
stones in  the  foundation  of  the  educational  structure 
of  Turkey.  The  great  work  upon  which  his  en- 
during fame  is  based  is  Robert  College,  the  coun- 
try's marvel  and  pride,  "a  beacon  light  on  a  head- 
land, throwing  its  bright  rays  into  the  darkness  as 
far  as  the  horizon  line." 

When  Cyrus  Hamlin  was  born,  January  5,  181 1, 
there  were  few  prominent  and  wealthy  families  in 
Maine,  his  native  State.  None  were  more  worthy 
and  respected  members  of  society  than  the  village 
lawyer,  doctor,  merchant  and  the  intelligent  farmer, 
the  latter,  a  numerous  and  powerful  class,  from 
which  Cyrus  Hamlin  descended.  He  was  born  at 
a  time  when  the  infant  days  of  manufactures  com- 
pelled home  weaving  and  spinning;  when  travel  was 


CYKUS    HAMLIN 


Cyrus  Hamlin  115 

limited ;  when  the  people  were  obliged  to  practice  the 
most  rigid  economy ;  when  the  Sabbath  was  kept  re- 
ligiously, and  when  sons  did  not  think  of  abandon- 
ing their  fathers'  farms,  but  stayed,  toiled  and  over- 
came all  obstacles.  These  efforts  through  necessity 
have  called  out  a  self-reliance  and  inventive  genius 
from  our  country's  sons,  which  have  in  later  years, 
largely  and  unquestionably,  contributed  to  its  great 
and  unparalleled  success. 

Every  person  in  the  Hamlin  home  worked.  Idle- 
ness and  luxury  were  unknown  in  their  modest  farm- 
house at  Waterford,  and  the  boys  early  did  the  work 
of  men.  Now  they  were  busy  planting,  haying,  har- 
vesting, making  a  potato  cart,  a  hay  cart,  a  gate  or  an 
ox  yoke,  the  latter  being  pronounced  a  marvel  by  all 
who  saw  it  when  completed.  A  rich  reward  was 
reaped  in  later  years,  far  away  on  the  Bosphorus, 
from  the  tact  and  skill  developed  in  these  early  years 
of  farm  life. 

At  his  home,  Cyrus  Hamlin  was  favored  by  the 
best  example  and  noblest  teacher  which  this  world 
can  afford ;  a  loving,  intelligent,  God-fearing  mother, 
whose  culture  was  widely  recognized  and  to  whose 
ambitions  the  town  indirectly  owed  many  of  its  in- 
tellectual pursuits  and  beneficial  improvements. 

Just  after  his  sixteenth  birthday,  Cyrus  Hamlin 
left  home  for  Portland  to  become  an  apprentice  to 
his  brother-in-law,  a  silversmith.  The  forty-mile 
journey  not  only  seemed  a  great  distance  but  served 


Ii6  Pioneer  Missionaries 

to  mark  a  great  event,  for  now  the  farm  life  closed. 
The  days  in  Portland  were  full  of  work,  earnestness 
and  study.  Here  he  joined  an  evening  school,  and 
thus  commenced  an  educational  enthusiasm  and  ac- 
tivity which  lasted  through  life.  While  here,  he  re- 
ceived his  first  encouragement  to  study  for  the  min- 
istry, and  two  years  later  he  entered  Bridgton  Acad- 
emy to  prepare  for  college. 

Later,  at  Bowdoin  College,  the  example  of  his 
professors,  men  of  power,  inspired  every  effort  and 
influenced  him  to  emulate  them  and  guide  others  to 
intellectual  heights.  His  college  friend's  words : 
"Aim  for  the  first  rank  and  take  it  for  Christ  and  his 
cause,"  were  never  forgotten.  His  college  and  life 
work  testified  to  the  fulfillment  of  his  unwavering 
aim.  Offices  and  honors,  conferred  upon  members 
of  the  highest  rank,  were  taken  by  him,  "the  young 
student  of  marvelous  activity,  executive  ability  and 
dauntless  heroism."  His  mechanical  skill  was  most 
publicly  demonstrated  when  he  made  the  first  steam- 
engine  in  the  State,  a  work  inspired  by  a  lesson  in 
physics  and  a  lecture  by  Professor  Smythe.  None 
of  the  students  in  the  class  had  a  clear  idea  of  the 
steam-engine.  They  had  never  seen  one.  Cyrus 
Hamlin  declared  he  could  make  one  and  immediately 
embarked  upon  the  task.  Weeks  of  research, 
thought  and  work  were  given.  It  was  a  success,  and 
the  college  gave  him  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
dollars  for  it. 


Cyrus   Hamlin  117 

Three  years  of  study  at  Bangor  Theological  Sem- 
inary followed  the  work  at  Bowdoin  College,  where, 
in  addition  to  his  regular  work,  he  now  added  a 
course  of  lectures  on  Africa  and  also  delivered  many 
temperance  addresses. 

In  1838  he  was  ordained  and  was  accepted  by  the 
American  Board  as  a  missionary  to  Turkey.  Janu- 
ary 17,  1839,  after  a  voyage  of  forty-five  days,  he 
was  in  Smyrna,  and  two  weeks  later  he  arrived  in 
Constantinople,  where  he  was  to  labor,  to  teach,  to 
triumph.  Anxious  days  passed  when  reports  were 
current  that  all  the  missionaries  were  to  be  driven 
from  the  empire.  Not  only  persecution,  but  exile 
was  threatened  to  Drs.  Goodell,  Schauffler,  Dwight 
and  Hamlin,  the  four  missionaries  then  in  Constanti- 
nople. Numerous  changes  in  the  fiscal  system  of 
the  empire  occurred,  which  struck  a  blow  to  that 
domineering  aristocracy  which  had  been  such  a  hin- 
drance to  the  progress  of  truth,  and  the  hand  of  in- 
justice was  averted. 

Dr.  Hamlin  at  once  began  studying  the  Armenian 
language,  in  which  he  made  great  progress.  His  one 
great  aim  was  to  establish  a  school  for  Armenians. 
In  November,  1840,  a  house  was  secured  at  Bebek, 
on  the  Bosphorus,  about  seven  miles  from  Constanti- 
nople. Here  he  opened  his  boarding-school,  "Bebek 
Seminary,"  with  two  pupils,  the  beginning  of  his 
great  educational  work  in  the  East.  The  number 
soon  increased.     Youths  from  fourteen  to  twenty. 


1 1  8  Pioneer  Missionaries 

thirsting  for  knowledge  and  deliverance  from  the 
shackles  of  past  generations,  daily  became  more  in- 
terested. Soon  visitors  came,  marveled  at  the  ex- 
periments in  chemistry  or  physics  and  were  amazed 
at  the  electrical  wonders.  The  teacher  was  quietly, 
yet  patiently,  leading  his  pupils  onward.  He  puri- 
fied and  enriched  the  Armenian  language,  giving 
much  time  to  the  translation  of  text-books,  among 
the  best  being  the  work  on  Mental  Philosophy  by 
Upham,  and  that  on  Moral  Philosophy  by  Way- 
land. 

On  account  of  the  phenomenal  success  of  this 
school,  the  wrath  and  indignation  of  the  Armenian 
patriarch  was  aroused.  He  was  urged  by  the  bank- 
ers to  destroy  it,  and  take  away  every  Armenian  stu- 
dent. This  the  patriarch  attempted  to  do,  but  his 
plan  failed  through  the  wise  actions  taken  by  Dr. 
Hamlin.  The  enmity  of  the  bankers  and  many 
others  was  groundless  and  unjust,  more  injurious  to 
themselves  than  to  him,  for  the  little  seminary 
seemed  to  succeed  best  when  its  enemies  were  most 
determined  to  destroy  it.  After  a  three  weeks'  vaca- 
tion the  pupils  returned  in  increased  numbers  and 
with  renewed  determination. 

In  1 84 1  Mr.  Hamlin  was  compelled  to  procure  a 
larger  house  for  his  school,  and  rooms  were  obtained 
in  an  old  palace  built  by  a  Greek  prince.  Bible  classes, 
lectures,  addresses,  preaching  services,  visiting  and 
teaching  were  the  means  of  converting  several  Ar- 


Cyrus  Hamlin  119 

menians.  These  Armenians  who  accepted  Christi- 
anity were  at  once  deserted  by  their  famihes  and 
were  practically  outcasts. 

Nearly  all  the  pupils  of  his  school  w^ere  pitifully 
poor,  many  of  them  having  no  means  of  procuring 
suitable  clothing.  What  could  be  done  for  these  per- 
secuted students?  Dr.  Hamlin's  quick  forethought 
and  ready  mechanical  genius  soon  solved  the  prob- 
lem. He  had  already  fitted  up  a  workshop  for  manu- 
al training,  and  as  there  were  no  furnaces  or  fire- 
places in  the  city,  he  directed  his  pupils  to  make 
sheet-iron  stoves  and  stove-pipe,  knowing  the  sales 
would  prove  a  grateful  source  of  income.  During 
the  winter  of  1844  the  pupils  made  in  addition  to 
stoves,  fire-shovels,  ash  pans  and  other  valu- 
able articles.  What  a  spirit  of  self-reliance  was  de- 
veloped among  the  now  neatly  clothed  students ! 
Young  Armenians,  hearing  of  the  wonderful  results 
attained  in  this  school,  walked  great  distances,  en- 
during fatigue,  suffering  and  danger  if  they  could 
but  reach  Dr.  Hamlin  and  become  a  member  of  his 
school,  where  opportunity  was  offered  for  Christian 
work  and  Christian  education. 

As  the  weeks  passed.  Dr.  Hamlin  saw  that  the 
poor  and  persecuted  class  could  be  saved  only 
through  industries,  which  must  go  hand  in  hand 
with  mental  work.  He  lost  no  opportunity  to  lift 
them  to  this  high  plane  of  labor. 

As  there  was  no  bakery  in  Constantinople  where 


I20  Pioneer  Missionaries 

fresh,  sweet  bread  could  be  obtained,  Dr.  Hamlin  de- 
cided to  establish  a  bakery.  Ever  fertile  in  expedi- 
ents, he  gave  his  attention  to  that  which  would  pro- 
mote the  happiness  and  improvement  of  his  people, 
even  if  it  required  that  he  become  a  miller  and  a 
bread-maker.    He  lost  no  time;  saw  no  failure. 

The  buildings  were  erected,  the  mill  established, 
steam-engines  ordered,  machinery  set  up,  the  great 
ovens  built,  the  flour  ground,  the  bread  made,  sold, 
delivered  and  money  for  same  received.  Success 
again  came  to  him  who  had  met  and  conquered  each 
obstacle.  Each  loaf,  fresh  and  sweet,  was  as  much 
above  the  legal  weight  as  Constantinople's  dishonest 
bakers  had  made  their  leavened,  sour  loaves  below 
that  weight.  In  eight  weeks  the  patronage  was  far 
beyond  their  expectations.  There  was  a  constant  de- 
mand for  the  new  flour  and  the  new  Hamlin  bread. 
His  men  were  industrious,  eager,  enthusiastic  and  in- 
telligent. Each  day  he  saw  some  one  developing  an 
insight  or  ingenuity  most  unexpected  and  gratifying. 
This  was  the  first  step  that  led  to  the  higher  learn- 
ing. 

Soon,  through  the  outbreak  of  the  Crimean  War, 
he  was  surrounded  by  thousands  of  troops.  In  the 
Scutari  Hospital  hundreds  of  neglected  soldiers  were 
dying  each  day.  They  refused  the  city's  sour  bread. 
Each  morning  six  thousand  pounds  of  sweet,  whole- 
some bread  were  sent  to  this  hospital  from  the 
famous  Hamlin  bakery,  and  later  a  contract  was 


Cyrus  Hamlin  121 

made  to  supply  rations  for  eight  hundred  Russian 
prisoners,  the  profits  of  which  were  used  for  creating 
a  fund  which  materially  aided  the  erection  of 
churches  for  the  native  Protestants.  Thousands  of 
pounds  were  also  daily  sent  to  the  camp  at  Hyder 
Pasha.  Invalids  and  wounded  soldiers  filled  the 
hospitals  and  the  rapid  increase  was  not  met  by  a 
corresponding  corps  of  surgeons  and  nurses.  The 
death  rate  was  appalling.  The  disgraceful  failure  of 
the  British  medical  department  stirred  the  heart  of 
Dr.  Hamlin.  Hospitals  were  proving  almost  useless, 
for  men  succumbed  faster  to  disease,  starvation  and 
neglect  than  to  Russian  bullets.  Misery  and  dis- 
order prevailed  until  Florence  Nightingale,  with  her 
forty  assistants  and  twelve  trained  nurses,  arrived  to 
transform  everything.  Fresh  clean  clothing  was 
urgently  needed  for  the  soldiers.  No  washing  had 
been  done.  Soiled  clothing  had  accumulated,  to 
which  no  care  had  been  given.  Again  Dr.  Hamlin's 
skill  and  invention  seemed  like  a  merciful  Provi- 
dence. He  erected  a  washing  establishment  and  in- 
vented a  washing-machine  by  which  each  day  thou- 
sands of  garments  were  washed  by  himself  and  his 
assistants.  The  profits  of  this  good  work  were  de- 
voted to  Christian  purposes,  building  the  little  church 
at  Bardezag  and  clearing  off  many  debts. 

When  the  cholera  finally  broke  out  among  the 
soldiers  and  the  poorer  classes.  Dr.  Hamlin  prepared 
a  medicine  which  was  most  successful,  both  in  per- 


122  Pioneer  Missionaries 

forming  efficacious  cures  and  in  arresting  the  spread 
of  the  terrible  disease.  With  unfailing  courage  and 
fearless  devotion  he  went  from  one  stricken  family 
to  another  in  the  pestilential  districts,  prescribing, 
nursing,  advising,  sympathizing,  praying,  as  ready 
to  give  assistance  to  the  beggar  as  to  the  Sultan.  At 
this  time  he  seemed  to  be  everywhere  at  once,  always 
counseling,  never  disheartened,  never  conquered. 
These  services  endeared  him  to  all. 

After  eighteen  years  of  constant  toil  in  the  East, 
Dr.  Hamlin  visited  America,  stopping  in  many  Eu- 
ropean cities  on  the  way.  Thousands  of  dollars  were 
given  to  a  church  building  fund,  then  much  in  need 
of  just  such  aid,  for  the  erection  of  thirteen  churches 
with  school  facilities.  Everywhere  crowds  listened 
to  his  story  of  the  religious  freedom  of  the  thirty- 
five  churches,  of  his  school  with  its  progressive  sys- 
tem of  education ;  the  press  with  its  volume  of  bibli- 
cal and  educational  literature,  and,  most  practical  of 
all,  of  the  industries  which  had  helped  so  many  to 
rise  from  degradation  to  respectability.  In  America 
he  was  warmly  welcomed,  and  crowded  assemblies 
became  enthused  regarding  this  great  work  in 
Turkey.  On  his  return  through  England,  arrange- 
ments were  made  for  forty  days  of  public  meetings 
in  behalf  of  the  Turkish  Missions  Aid  Society.  He 
met  many  able  and  distinguished  Europeans,  among 
them  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  whose  deep  sympathy 


Cyrus  Hamlin  123 

and  interest  he  enlisted  in  behalf  of  the  work  among 
the  Armenians. 

But  the  brightest  gem  in  the  coronet,  with  which 
he  should  be  crowned,  is  the  founding  of  Robert 
College,  the  first  Christian  college  in  Turkey,  to  the 
establishment  of  which  he  now  directed  all  his  en- 
ergies. As  Mr.  Christopher  R.  Robert,  of  New 
York,  an  American  philanthropist,  had  been  in  corre- 
spondence with  him  in  reference  to  the  establishment 
of  a  college  in  Turkey,  Dr.  Hamlin,  in  i860,  resigned 
his  connection  with  the  American  Board,  after  twen- 
ty-three years  of  work  in  its  service,  and  from  this 
time  his  one  aim  was  for  the  college.  It  is  doubtful 
if,  in  all  the  world,  there  is  an  institution  whose  his- 
tory is  more  eventful,  romantic  and  unique  than  this, 
or  one  which  has  exercised  a  greater  beneficent  in- 
fluence. As  the  years  pass,  this  noble  work  stands 
out  brighter  and  grander,  a  fitting  monument  to  the 
labors  of  Dr.  Hamlin.  Who  can  measure  the  wide- 
spread influence  from  its  moral  training,  analyze  its 
power  for  good  or  comprehend  the  far-reaching  re- 
sults from  its  complete  mental  discipline? 

After  thoroughly  investigating  twenty-four  sites, 
he  selected  the  first  and  best,  that  prominent  and 
splendid  site  overlooking  the  Bosphorus  from  the 
high  hill  north  of  Constantinople.  Here  would  be 
his  college;  but  permission  to  buy,  to  build  or  to 
organize  was  denied  him.  Opposition — cruel,  un- 
just, merciless — met  him  at  every  turn.     For  seven 


I  24  Pioneer  Missionaries 

years  one  vain  attempt  followed  another  to  purchase 
the  ground  for  the  college.  The  trying  history  of 
those  days  will  never  be  fully  written  or  realized. 
The  apparent  hopelessness  of  the  enterprise  would 
have  disheartened  any  other  man  but  Dr.  Hamlin. 
The  sovereign's  refusal,  repeatedly  given,  was  ob- 
stinate, overwhelming,  convincing.  Yet  Dr.  Hamlin 
was  not  deterred  from  his  plan.  Time  after  time  the 
subject  was  reopened  until  the  Grand  Vizier,  Aali 
Pasha,  said  in  despair :  "Will  this  Mr.  Hamlin  never 
die,  and  let  me  alone  on  this  college  question  ?" 

At  last  the  long  contest  with  the  Turkish  govern- 
ment ended  and  the  unexpected  Irade  of  H.  I.  M., 
the  Sultan,  came  to  Dr.  Hamlin.  After  guarding 
the  Bosphorus  for  four  centuries  against  any  intru- 
sion of  this  character,  the  great  honor  was  given  to 
America. 

Dr.  Hamlin,  though  having  four  plans  at  his  dis- 
posal, was  practically  the  architect  of  this  college,  and 
utility  was  studied  rather  than  architectural  effect. 
Always  present  upon  the  grounds  during  the  erec- 
tion of  this  magnificent  edifice,  he  settled  disputes, 
inspired  the  workmen,  lent  constant  aid  and  advice. 
Bribes,  mysteries,  controversies  were  at  last  cleared 
away,  and  on  July  4,  1869,  amid  joyful  ceremonies, 
and  with  a  speech  by  Hon.  E.  J.  Morris,  the  Ameri- 
can minister,  and  addresses  by  eminent  Greeks,  Bul- 
garians, Armenians  and  others,  the  corner-stone  was 
laid.     On  May  15,   1871,  the  college  opened.     All 


Cyrus  Hamlin  125 

Turkey  could  view  the  grand  work ;  a  Christian  col- 
lege now  offered  to  them  every  facility  for  acquiring 
a  complete  education.  Tears  came  from  many, 
thanksgivings,  blessings  and  praise  were  bestowed 
upon  the  one  man  above  all  others  who  had  accom- 
plished this  great  work.  The  college  was  opened  to 
every  nationality  and  sect  of  the  empire;  an  educa- 
tion was  now  offered  that  assured  the  safety  of  the 
state  and  of  society  and  that  opened  the  long-shut 
gates  to  civil  and  military  employment.  Its  course 
of  instruction  is  as  thorough  as  that  in  any  similar 
institution  in  America,  and  to-day  thousands  of  hon- 
ored men  in  the  East  owe  all  they  are  and  their  entire 
means  of  livelihood  to  Dr.  Hamlin's  industrial  and 
educational  efforts.  Marvelous  was  the  victory  of 
those  seventeen  years  of  absolute  devotion  given  for 
this  college,  above  which  the  American  flag  floats. 
And  was  the  price  paid  for  the  enlightenment  of  these 
people  too  heavy  ?  Not  for  the  man  who  overcomes 
all  obstacles;  not  for  the  educator  doomed  to  disap- 
pointment in  the  four  years  of  almost  fruitless  efforts 
for  an  endowment;  not  even  for  that  missionary 
hero  who  after  returning  to  America  learned  that  he 
was  not  to  return.  With  a  full  heart,  Hamlin  ac- 
cepted another  work,  that  of  Professor  of  Theology 
at  Bangor  Theological  Seminary.  Here  he  re- 
mained three  years  and  then  accepted  the  Presidency 
of  Middlebury  College,  which  office  he  resigned  after 
five  years  of  noble  work,  characterized  by  remarkable 


I  26  Pioneer  Missionaries 

energy  and  administrative  ability.  At  the  age  of 
seventy-five,  after  forty-five  years  of  active  and 
varied  educational  work,  he  retired  to  his  home  at 
Lexington,  Mass.,  where  he  died  August  8,  1900. 

Few  men  have  gained  a  more  intimate  knowledge 
of  every  phase  of  human  life  from  the  poorest  street 
beggar  to  the  ruling  sovereign,  and  to  few  has  been 
accorded  the  power  of  promoting  the  welfare  of  so 
many  in  a  work  so  substantial,  extensive  and  far- 
reaching  in  its  results. 

In  the  midst  of  discouragements,  Cyrus  Hamlin 
was  always  brave ;  in  counsel  always  wise ;  in  service 
always  ready.  To  civilize  Turkey,  to  make  it  educa- 
tionally and  religiously  powerful,  to  raise  it  in  the 
scale  of  nations,  was  the  ever-present  aim  that  ani- 
mated his  existence.  And  this  aim  he  pursued  con- 
stantly like  a  giant  of  destiny  with  no  regard  for 
losses,  defeats,  humiliations  or  obstacles. 

He  must  ever  be  classed  among  those  benefactors 
who  have  truly  understood  the  vital  principles  of  a 
nation's  progress,  for  there  is  hardly  an  element  of 
power,  law  or  order  in  Turkey  which  he  did  not  ably 
and  powerfully  help  to  secure. 


DANIEL    KI.ISS 


DANIEL    BLISS,   D.D. 

Born  August  17,  1823. 

On  February  7,  1856,  the  Rev.  Daniel  Bliss  landed 
in  Syria.  On  January  13,  1902,  he  resigned  his 
more  active  and  public  duties  in  that  land.  Of  these 
forty-six  years,  only  the  first  six  and  a  half  were 
spent  in  what  is  ordinarily  understood  as  mission 
work,  in  connection  with  one  of  the  great  foreign 
missionary  Boards;  and  yet  he  has  been  chosen  for 
these  pages  as  the  representative  Syrian  missionary. 
How  eminently  this  choice  has  been  justified  will 
appear  from  the  following  brief  review  of  his  life- 
work. 

Daniel  Bliss  was  born  in  Georgia,  Vt.,  on  the 
17th  day  of  August,  1823,  being  the  fifth  son  of 
Loomis  Bliss  and  Susannah  Falwell.  He  belongs  to 
the  seventh  generation  of  the  descendants  of  Thomas 
Bliss,  of  Belstone  Parish,  Devonshire,  England,  a 
Puritan  landlord,  reduced  from  wealth  to  poverty 
during  the  great  persecution  under  Archbishop 
Laud.  His  son  Thomas,  after  suffering  imprison- 
ment for  his  non-conformity,  embarked  from  Plym- 
outh for  America,  in  the  autumn  of  1635,  with  his 
wife  Margaret.  From  this  couple  are  descended 
most  of  the  Blisses  found  in  the  United  States. 


128  Pioneer  Missionaries 

When  Daniel  was  about  twelve  years  old,  he  emi- 
grated with  his  father  to  Ohio.  For  four  years  he 
worked  on  a  farm,  attending  the  village  school  for 
three  months  each  winter.  The  next  four  years  he 
served  as  apprentice  to  the  tanner's  and  currier's 
trade,  which  he  prosecuted  till  he  was  twenty-three 
years  old. 

During  all  this  time  he  had  longed  for  a  liberal 
education,  and  when  at  last,  in  1846,  he  entered  the 
Academy  of  Kingsville,  Ohio,  he  felt  that  he  was 
handicapped  by  beginning  his  education  so  late  in 
life,  little  dreaming  that  the  patient  business  habits, 
the  practical  knowledge  of  men,  the  mechanical  and 
manual  skill,  all  acquired  by  his  arduous  training, 
were  in  almost  prophetic  preparation  for  a  career, 
which  would  involve  the  purchase  of  lands  from  men 
more  subtle  than  those  who  sold  the  cave  of  Mach- 
pelah  to  Abraham ;  the  erection  of  buildings,  with 
all  the  details  of  stone  and  iron  and  wood  kept  under 
his  own  strict  supervision;  the  control  of  Arabs, 
Syrians,  Greeks,  Egyptians  and  Mesopotamians.  In 
the  autumn  of  1848  he  entered  Amherst  College  with 
a  somewhat  defective  preparation,  but  so  concen- 
trated and  keen  was  his  application  to  study,  that, 
notwithstanding  the  amount  of  time  that  he  was 
obliged  to  devote  to  self-support  by  bell-ringing, 
teaching,  managing  a  boarding  club,  acting  as  libra- 
rian to  a  literary  society,  etc.,  he  was  graduated  in 
1852  among  the  upper  third  of  his  class.     His  un- 


Daniel  Bliss  i  29 

doubted  popularity  was  not  achieved  by  kind  con- 
formity to  college  traditions,  which  indeed  he  some- 
times antagonized  and  remodelled,  as  when,  by  a 
ringing  speech,  he  induced  his  class  to  abolish  the 
customary  hazing  of  Freshmen.  His  chief  success 
in  regular  college  work  was  in  mathematics  and  ora- 
tory, but  his  literary  instincts  were  sound  and  sure, 
leading  him,  through  a  study  of  Milton  and  Shake- 
speare, to  form  a  style  of  notable  simplicity,  purity 
and  depth. 

Soon  after  entering  college  he  joined  the  Congre- 
gational Church  and  the  Missionary  Society,  and 
these  steps  were  soon  followed  by  his  decision  to 
study  for  the  ministry  and  to  devote  his  life  to  mis- 
sionary work.  At  Andover,  where  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1 85 5,  he  came  under  the  influence  of  Pro- 
fessors Park,  Shedd,  Phelps  and  others.  His  vale- 
dictory address  before  the  Society  of  Inquiry,  en- 
titled "The  Claims  of  the  Missionary  Work  upon 
the  Mental  Strength  of  the  Ministry"  (published 
later  by  the  American  Board  as  No.  14  in  its  series 
of  tracts),  unconsciously  foreshadowed  the  line 
which  his  life-work  was  to  take.  Before  his  gradu- 
ation he  was  accepted  by  the  American  Board  as 
missionary  to  Syria.  On  December  12,  1855,  he  em- 
barked from  Boston  on  the  Sultana,  with  his  wife, 
Abby  Maria  Wood,  whom  he  had  married  on  the 
23d  of  November.  The  Sultana  was  a  bark  of 
only  three  hundred  and  fifty  tons  burden,  and  her 


130  Pioneer  Missionaries 

stormy  voyage  to  Smyrna  took  forty-two  days. 
Proceeding  thence  by  French  steamer,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bliss  arrived  in  Bey  rout,  February  7,  1856. 

Never  has  the  personnel  of  the  Syria  Mission  been 
higher  than  it  was  at  that  period,  including,  among 
others,  "whose  names  the  Lord  knows" — to  employ  a 
quaint  Armenian  phrase — Eli  Smith,  associated  with 
Robinson  in  the  first  scientific  exploration  of  Pales- 
tine; Van  Dyck,  world-renowned  scholar  of  Arabic, 
into  which  he  translated  the  Scriptures;  Thomson, 
author  of  "  The  Land  and  the  Book;"  Calhoun,  the 
"Saint  of  Mt.  Lebanon;"  W.  W.  Eddy,  compiler  of 
Arabic  commentaries ;  and  H.  H.  Jessup,  who  ar- 
rived with  Mr.  Bliss,  and  whose  name  is  known 
throughout  all  the  churches.  The  Mission  at  that 
time  was  divided  into  five  stations,  or  centers  of 
work,  Beyrout,  Sidon,  Tripoli,  Hams  and  Abeit,  Mt. 
Lebanon. 

During  the  six  and  a  half  years  spent  by  Mr.  Bliss 
in  ordinary  mission  work  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Abeit  Station,  at  first  directly  associated  with  Mr. 
Calhoun  in  Abeit  itself,  and  later  in  Suk-el-Ghurb. 
So-called  "ordinary"  mission  work  is  in  fact  ex- 
traordinary in  character  and  variety.  Preaching 
in  the  vernacular,  superintending  schools,  itinerat- 
ing among  the  villages,  acting  as  advisor  in  le- 
gal cases,  managing  accounts — these  are  the 
salient  features  of  a  work  whose  details  are  be- 
yond enumeration.     This  regular  work  was  partly 


Daniel   Bliss  131 

interrupted  in  the  year  i860,  during  the  Civil  War, 
or  rather  the  massacre  of  Christians  by  the  Druzes, 
which  resulted  in  the  reconstruction  of  the  Lebanon 
Government,  with  a  Christian  Governor,  under  the 
protection  of  the  Powers.  But  the  crisis  brought 
with  it  other  labors — the  distribution  of  relief  funds 
sent  from  Europe  in  forty-five  villages,  the  care  of 
widows  and  orphans,  and  the  superintendence  of 
road-building  by  peasants  able  to  obtain  this  relief 
by  work. 

For  some  years  the  question  of  higher  education 
had  loomed  large  in  the  discussions  of  the  mission- 
aries. While  the  Abeit  Academy  met  the  particular 
wants  of  the  Mission  in  furnishing  school-teachers 
and  other  native  helpers,  it  was  felt  that  there  was  a 
growing  demand  in  the  land  for  an  institution  at 
once  more  general  and  more  specific ;  more  general 
in  that  it  should  give  a  broad  foundation  for  any 
career,  more  specific  in  that  it  should  include  special 
technical  departments,  such  as  medicine,  law,  etc.* 
That  such  a  college  was  beyond  both  the  scope  and 
the  means  of  the  Mission  was  clear.  That  it  should 
be  conducted  by  Protestant  Christians  in  full  sym- 
pathy with  the  Mission  was  equally  clear.  During 
the  year  1861  the  matter  was  long  and  carefully  dis- 


*While  Biblical  studies  were  to  hold  an  important  place 
in  the  curriculum,  a  theological  department  was  not  contem- 
plated, the  feeling  being  that  the  training  of  ministers  should 
be  left  to  the  mission. 


132  Pioneer  Missionaries 

cussed  between  Dr.  Thomson  and  Mr.  Bliss.  It  was 
brought  to  a  head  on  January  23,  1862,  when  the 
Mission  voted  that  these  gentlemen  be  a  committee 
to  prepare  a  minute  in  relation  to  a  contemplated 
literary  institution  to  be  located  in  Beyrout.  Much 
to  his  surprise,  it  was  suggested  that  Mr.  Bliss  be 
set  apart  as  president.  The  committee  reported 
favorably  to  the  scheme,  and  their  minute  was  for- 
warded to  the  Board  for  ratification.  After  careful 
consideration  the  consent  was  given,  thus  enabling 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bliss  to  reach  New  York,  Septem- 
ber 17,  in  full  time  for  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
American  Board  at  Springfield,  Mass.,  a  few  days 
later.  Mr.  Bliss's  eloquent  address  on  the  need  of 
reinforcements  in  the  missionary  work  stirred  the 
heart  of  Mr.  W.  E.  Dodge,  Sr.,  and  thus  by  drawing 
the  attention  of  this  eminent  philanthropist  to  the 
speaker,  at  once  laid  the  foundations  of  the  financial 
success  of  the  college.  But  not  alone  was  its  financial 
success  advanced.  Toward  the  college  his  son,  the 
Rev.  D.  S.  Dodge,  D.D.,  has  borne  a  three-fold  rela- 
tion :  first,  as  constant  contributor  of  money ;  second, 
as  professor,  and  with  the  president  as  overseer  of 
the  actual  construction  of  the  buildings;  and  third, 
as  the  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  in  New  York,  where  for  the  last  thirty 
years  he  has  devoted  two  hours  a  day  to  the  affairs 
of  the  college.  It  is  impossible  to  overestimate  w]iat 
this  institution  owes  to  the  double  bond  which  has 


Daniel   Bliss  133 

always  united  Dr.  Bliss  and  Dr.  Dodge,  a  bond  not 
alone  of  a  common  interest,  but  of  a  deep  personal 
affection. 

During  his  stay  of  two  years  in  America,  Mr.  Bliss 
continued  his  connection  with  the  Board,  acting  for 
several  months  as  secretary  in  New  York,  and  mak- 
ing addresses  over  the  country,  in  which  he  repre- 
sented the  college  as  the  outcome  of  mission  work. 
The  Syrian  Protestant  College  is  not  only  the  child 
of  the  Syria  Mission,  but  it  has  always  kept  in  close 
touch  with  its  parent.  Organically  they  are  separate, 
as  the  college  was  incorporated  as  an  independent 
institution  by  the  New  York  Legislature,  but  they 
have  a  higher  bond  of  union  in  a  common  faith,  and 
in  common  aims.  The  Syrian  missionaries  have  al- 
ways constituted  the  majority  on  the  local  board  of 
managers.  The  students  who  form  the  true  nucleus, 
giving  its  unique  tone  to  the  whole  college,  have  had 
their  earlier  training  in  the  mission  schools,  or  come 
from  families  which  are  under  mission  influence. 
The  candidates  for  the  majority  of  the  scholarships 
are  proposed  by  the  missionaries. 

By  the  Alumni  of  1864,  Dr.  Bliss  (who  had  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  D.D.  from  Amherst  at  the  pre- 
vious commencement)  had  collected  over  $100,000 
toward  the  endowment.  Currency,  however,  had 
greatly  depreciated  during  war  times,  and  it  was 
deemed  wise  not  to  touch  the  principal  until  par 
values  should  be  restored.    In  the  meantime  the  pres- 


I  34  Pioneer  Missionaries 

ident  made  a  sojourn  of  a  year  and  a  half  in  Eng- 
land, where  with  the  backing  of  men  like  the  Duke 
of  Argyll,  Lords  Shaftesbury  and  De  Redcliffe,  John 
Bright  and  others,  he  collected  about  $30,000,  a  sum 
more  than  sufficient  to  start  the  work. 

The  institution  was  opened  in  a  hired  house  in 
October,  1866,  with  sixteen  Freshmen  as  students, 
and  with  Dr.  Bliss  and  two  tutors,  one  a  Frenchman, 
the  other  a  Syrian,  as  instructors.  In  1902  there  were 
six  hundred  and  twenty-six  students,  divided  among 
five  departments,  preparatory,  collegiate,  commercial, 
medical  and  pharmaceutical;  there  are  forty  profes- 
sors and  tutors,  twenty- four  of  whom  are  Americans. 
The  campus,  gloriously  situated  on  a  plateau  im- 
mediately overlooking  the  Mediterranean  and  with  a 
full  view  of  the  Lebanon,  covers  forty  acres,  dotted 
with  twelve  buildings,  including  an  assembly  hall, 
library,  museum,  observatory,  dormitories,  lecture 
halls,  etc.,  etc.  The  students  come  from  all  parts  of 
Syria  and  Palestine,  from  the  valleys  of  the  Nile  and 
Euphrates,  from  Cyprus  and  the  Isles  of  Greece, 
from  Asia  Minor  and  Armenia.  They  represent  the 
various  Christian  sects.  Papal,  Greek,  Armenian, 
Copt  and  Protestant,  and  Druzes,  Jews  and  Mos- 
lems. Of  the  latter  there  are  over  fifty,  and  include 
two  descendants  of  Skhaled,  the  "Sword  of  God," 
who  conquered  Jerusalem  for  Islam.  Thus  the  col- 
lege has  an  opportunity  to  reach  Moslems,  which  has 
thus  far  been  practically  denied  to  ordinary  mission 


Daniel  Bliss  135 

work.  The  number  of  students  enrolled  since  the 
beginning,  for  longer  or  shorter  periods,  is  two  thou- 
sand seven  hundred  and  seventy-three.  The  number 
of  graduates  from  all  departments  consists  of  over 
eight  hundred  individuals,  some  of  whom  have 
completed  several  courses.  These  fill  positions — 
some  of  great  importance — in  all  parts  of  the  Orient 
from  the  Soudan  on  the  south  to  the  Black  Sea  on  the 
north,  from  Persia  on  the  east  to  Morocco  on  the 
west.  Two  are  in  the  Philippines,  one  in  Porto  Rico, 
three  in  Brazil.  While  its  endowment  is  inadequate 
to  its  growing  needs,  in  the  matter  of  self-support 
the  college  compares  favorably  with  the  most  flour- 
ishing American  institutions. 

It  is  significant  that  this  sketch,  nominally  of  Dr. 
Bliss,  should  have  been  so  largely  taken  up  with  the 
inception  and  development  of  the  Syrian  Protestant 
College.  The  man  is  the  college,  and  the  college  is 
the  man.  The  grounds  contain  no  road  which  he  has 
not  laid  out,  hardly  a  tree  which  he  has  not  planted, 
hardly  a  course  of  stone  which  he  has  not  seen  laid  in 
place.  When  asked  why  he  did  not  write  a  church 
history.  Dr.  Roswell  D.  Hitchcock  replied,  "I  prefer 
to  stamp  individuals."  Beyond  brief  manuals  of 
mental  and  moral  philosophy  in  Arabic  and  a  few 
sermons.  Dr.  Bliss  has  published  nothing,  but  he  has 
stamped  his  impression,  not  only  upon  students,  but 
upon  the  institution  itself.  The  faculty  has  steadily 
increased  in  numbers  and  in  efficiency,  but  the  pres- 


136  Pioneer  Missionaries 

ident  has  always  led.  Although  indifferent  as  to 
the  origin  of  any  plan,  whether  his  own  or  that  of 
one  of  his  colleagues,  when  a  great  crisis  came  he 
never  hesitated  to  assert  his  right  to  control.  In 
matters  of  discipline  his  firmness  was  tempered  with 
humor,  delightful  illustrations  of  which  are  related 
by  old  graduates.  In  proof  of  his  unerring  foresight, 
it  may  be  noted  that  with  the  exception  of  the  change 
from  Arabic  to  English  as  the  general  medium  of  in- 
struction, necessitated  by  the  lack  of  sufficient  text- 
books in  the  vernacular  as  well  as  by  a  real  demand 
for  English,  the  policy  of  the  college  has  been  con- 
tinuous and  steady.  Not  only  has  no  territory  been 
abandoned,  but  no  avenues  to  further  development 
have  been  closed. 

But  the  story  of  Dr.  Bliss'  administration  would 
be  incomplete  without  a  reference  to  his  function 
as  a  teacher  and  preacher.  In  the  early  years  he 
taught  various  branches,  but  as  the  faculty  has  in- 
creased, he  has  confined  himself  to  the  chair  of 
Moral  Philosophy  and  Biblical  Exegesis.  Drawing 
from  the  wide  and  deep  experience  of  his  life,  he  in- 
vests the  eternal,  ethical  and  religious  problems  with 
a  power  and  practicality  doubly  attractive  in  a  land 
where  these  problems  have  long  been  matters  of  in- 
difference. As  to  his  intellectual  virility,  it  need  only 
be  noted  that  his  best  sermons  have  been  written 
since  he  was  seventy  and  one  of  his  most  eloquent 
speeches  was  made  in  his  seventy-ninth  year. 


Daniel  Bliss  137 

The  occasion  of  this  speech  was  a  meeting  held  in 
the  Assembly  Hall,  June  19,  1902,  when  a  committee 
representing  the  graduates,  students,  and  a  few 
friends  of  the  college,  presented  Dr.  Bliss  with  a 
gold  medal,  and  a  further  gift,  in  recognition  of  his 
services  to  Syria.  To  Mrs.  Bliss  was  presented  a 
silver  coffee  set,  and  it  was  gratifying  to  the  presi- 
dent to  know  that  the  public  appreciated  what  he  had 
known  for  forty  years,  namely,  how  much  the 
growth  of  the  college  owed  to  his  wife's  co-opera- 
tion. Various  speeches,  expressing  appreciation  and 
affection,  were  made.  And  then  the  president  re- 
plied. 

We  have  refrained  until  now  from  describing  his 
personal  appearance,  but  in  closing  this  brief  sketch 
we  may  look  at  him  as  he  stands,  now  facing  the 
committee  on  the  platform,  now  turning  toward  the 
vast  and  sympathetic  audience.  A  tall,  straight 
figure,  high  forehead,  clean-shaved  face,  determined 
chin,  thin  lips,  strong  Roman  nose,  hazel  eyes,  both 
keen  and  sweet,  abundant  silver  hair,  hands  eloquent 
in  gesture,  voice  still  clear  and  ringing;  such  is  the 
president  of  the  Syrian  Protestant  College  during 
the  last  year  of  his  active  service.  As  President 
Emeritus  his  counsel  will  be  still  available,  as  well 
to  the  faculty  in  general  as  to  his  son,  the  Rev.  H.  S. 
Bliss,  D.D.,  who  has  been  appointed  to  succeed  him 
in  the  presidency. 


REV.  AND  HON.  PETER  PARKER,  M.D. 

Born  June  i8,  1804. 
Died  January  10,  1888. 

Among  the  medical  missionaries  of  the  world, 
none  have  won  greater  and  more  incalculable 
triumphs  than  the  Reverend  and  Honorable  Peter 
Parker,  the  first  medical  missionary  to  China,  This 
father  of  medical  missions — this  missionary  physi- 
cian and  diplomatist — was  born  at  Framingham, 
Mass.,  June  18,  1804.  Surrounded  in  his  childhood 
by  the  stern,  strict  aspects  of  Christianity,  instead  of 
by  the  gentle,  persuasive  teachings,  he  grew  thought- 
ful, serious,  and  at  times  evinced  an  indifference  for 
religion,  but  after  a  long  mental  struggle  he  united 
with  the  Church  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  From  this 
time  onward  his  one  desire  was  to  aid  humanity.  At 
nineteen  he  became  a  teacher  in  a  Sunday-school — a 
most  exceptional  service  to  render  in  those  days  by 
one  so  young. 

Interested  and  helpful  friends  removed  one  by  one 
the  barriers  that,  to  this  farmer's  son,  prevented  an 
education,  and  in  1826  he  entered  Wrentham  Acade- 
my, and  a  year  later  he  was  pursuing  his  studies  at 
Amherst  College.     Here,   in  his  religious  life  he 


(^^:^r-0i^.^. 


Peter  Parker  139 

showed  an  absolute  fearlessness  and  intense  earnest- 
ness. Believing  he  might  obtain  greater  influ- 
ence for  usefulness,  he  decided  to  complete  his  col- 
lege course  at  Yale.  He  had  decided  to  devote  his 
life  to  foreign  missions,  and  neither  pinching  pov- 
erty, trouble,  care,  misfortune  nor  illness  diminished 
his  constant  determination  to  excel.  If  he  were  to  be 
a  missionary,  he  would  be  the  best  possible;  if  he 
were  to  enter  a  foreign  field,  it  should  be  one  of 
greatest  need,  and  he  regarded  China,  with  its  perish- 
ing millions,  as  the  field  of  greatest  importance. 

While  in  college  he  visited  the  poor  and  suffering 
families,  convicts  in  prison,  the  poor  at  the  alms- 
house, and  in  surrounding  towns  he  alleviated  dis- 
tress. Even  in  the  face  of  the  cholera,  which  then 
prevailed  in  New  York  and  New  Haven,  he  visited 
the  sick  ones. 

After  pursuing  his  regular  college  work  and  fin- 
ishing his  theological  studies  at  the  Yale  Divinity 
School,  he  was,  on  May  10,  1834,  ordained  to  his 
sacred  work.  In  the  two-fold  capacity  of  ordained 
and  medical  missionary  he  received  the  charges  and 
instructions  of  the  American  Board,  and  was  pub- 
licly dedicated  to  God  as  a  missionary  to  China. 

On  June  4,  1834,  Dr.  Parker  sailed  for  his  chosen 
field  of  labor.  No  day  in  that  young  life  was 
wasted;  every  opportunity  for  doing  good  was  em- 
braced. Even  on  the  fine  ship  Morrison  he  held 
services  with  the  passengers ;  he  established  evening 


140  Pioneer  Missionaries 

worship  in  the  cabin;  he  interested  the  sailors  in 
concerts  for  missions;  he  organized  a  Bible  class; 
more  than  twenty  times  on  the  voyage  he  rendered 
his  services  as  physician.  When  not  busy  with  these 
duties  he  was  assiduously  applying  himself  to  the 
study  of  the  Chinese  language. 

On  October  26,  1834,  he  arrived  at  Canton.  At 
once  he  began  studying  the  lives,  habits,  religion  and 
government  of  the  swarming  multitudes.  The  life 
of  the  beggars,  the  poorer  classes,  arrested  his  at- 
tention. In  two  months  he  departed  from  Canton 
and  began  work  at  Singapore.  His  efforts  in  allevi- 
ating the  bodily  sufferings  of  the  people  admitted 
him  where  many  another  would  have  been  denied  ad- 
mittance. During  morning  hours  he  attended  the 
sick,  often  seeing  fifty  patients ;  then  followed  divine 
services  with  a  little  band  of  Chinese.  He  soon  won 
the  confidence  of  the  natives.  His  medical  and  sur- 
gical practice  was  awakening  widespread  interest. 

On  account  of  impaired  health  he  left  Singapore 
and  returned  to  Canton.  To  better  prepare  for  pre- 
senting the  Gospel,  he  established  in  Canton  a  hos- 
pital, which  at  first  was  intended  for  the  treatment  of 
eye  diseases,  but  later  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  in- 
clude other  diseases.  The  formal  opening  of  the 
Ophthalmic  Hospital  in  Canton,  which  occurred 
November  4,  1835,  marked  the  commencement  of 
Dr.  Parker's  great  life-work.  Private  enterprises 
had  been  prosecuted,  but  now,  this  founder  of  medi- 


Peter  Parker  141 

cal  missions,  this  missionary,  full  of  exceptional  en- 
thusiasm and  ability,  began  a  work  that  has  made 
his  name  famous  throughout  the  civilized  world.  By 
the  establishment  of  this  dispensary  and  hospital,  for 
the  free  treatment  of  natives  at  Canton,  a  new  ave- 
nue was  made,  leading  straight  to  the  hearts  of  the 
Chinese,  and  the  gate  of  prejudice  was  unlocked. 
No  branch  of  mission  work  in  the  East  had  been, 
and  still  is,  more  sadly  needed;  not  one  has  been 
more  universally  successful.  Although  local  author- 
ities doubted  the  success  of  Dr.  Parker's  experiment, 
they  were  convinced  in  twelve  months  of  its  need. 
Thousands  were  seeking  admission.  Christian  mer- 
chants of  Canton,  England  and  America  began  to 
give  generously  for  the  maintenance  of  this  great 
work. 

Among  the  people,  from  the  first,  the  hospital,  and 
the  remarkable  cures  of  Dr.  Parker  occasioned  won- 
der and  admiration,  which  gradually  deepened  into 
gratitude,  confidence  and  adoration.  Every  morning 
the  streets  were  crowded  with  patients  coming  for 
aid.  From  the  blind  beggars  to  the  highest  function- 
ary of  the  Imperial  government  came  the  same 
prayer  of  "Cure  me !  Save  me !"  So  eager  were  the 
people,  that  many,  with  great  pain  and  toil,  would 
rise  at  midnight  and  congregate  at  the  hospital  en- 
trance; others  would  spread  their  mats  the  previous 
evening  and  sleep  by  the  hospital  thresholds,  that 
they  might  be  the  first  to  be  admitted  in  the  morning. 


142  Pioneer  Missionaries 

Here,  the  deaf  were  made  to  hear,  the  blind  to  see 
and  the  lame  to  walk.  In  all  China  no  such  cures 
had  ever  before  been  known.  Surgical  operations 
of  the  most  delicate  nature  were  successfully  per- 
formed by  Dr.  Parker.  The  number  of  the  blind 
Chinese  was  so  great  that  Dr.  Parker  gave  this 
branch  of  the  work  special  attention.  Many  days 
he  prescribed  for  more  than  one  hundred  per- 
sons. Often  he  was  so  weak  and  exhausted  by  night 
that  he  was  in  fear  of  falling  or  fainting,  but  the 
next  day  he  was  again  at  his  post,  advancing  his 
great  work  of  truth,  faith,  civilization  and  life  to 
China's  four  hundred  million  inhabitants.  In  twelve 
short  weeks  the  successive  cures  from  this  hospital 
accomplished  more  in  removing  that  impenetrable 
wall  of  Chinese  prejudice  and  restrictive  policy  than 
could  have  been  accomplished  in  years  by  the  cus- 
tomary missionary  work.  Sufferers  for  years  were 
made  whole.  How  receptive,  under  such  conditions, 
were  these  grateful  patients  to  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel  by  Dr.  Parker,  who  preached  to  the  people, 
both  collectively  and  individually,  of  the  Great 
Physician  who  could  give  immortal  life.  They  list- 
ened, and  one  by  one  expressed  a  desire  to  embrace 
that  religion. 

Was  not  this  institution  a  mighty  spiritual  power? 
Was  not  such  a  work  steadily  winning  an  entrance 
for  the  Gospel?  Could  any  other  agency  have  so 
quickly  effected  a  road  to  the  love,  confidence  and 


Peter  Parker  143 

trust  of  the  Chinese?  Did  not  hundreds  of  afflicted 
ones  from  China's  eighteen  provinces  hear  the  news 
of  salvation  preached  while  under  treatment  at  this 
hospital?  By  this  means,  did  not  the  Christian  re- 
ligion extend  to  far-away  districts,  which,  without 
Dr.  Parker's  great  hospital  work,  would  have  still 
lived  in  darkness?  Dr.  Wilson  has  truly  said: 
"Among  the  most  promising  means  now  employed 
for  reforming,  or  rather  revolutionizing,  the  moral, 
intellectual  and  social  condition  of  the  Chinese,  we 
would  rank  the  medical  missions." 

Before  two  years  had  expired,  Dr.  Parker  was 
among  the  best  known  foreigners  who  lived  in  Can- 
ton. His  praises  were  everywhere  related;  his  cures 
were  pronounced  miraculous;  his  friends  were  of 
every  rank  and  order,  from  near  and  distant  prov- 
inces. Several  young  men  were  acquiring  a  knowl- 
edge of  English,  hoping  to  study  medicine;  others 
had  applied  for  situations  in  his  hospital. 

So  greatly  was  this  work  valued  by  the  Chinese, 
by  all  foreigners,  and  by  missionaries,  that,  in  order 
to  make  it  secure  financially,  there  was  established  in 
1838  the  Medical  Missionary  Society  in  China. 
This  marked  an  era  in  the  history  of  modern  mis- 
sions. The  Medical  Missionary  Society  was  the  first 
society  organized  with  the  object  of  combining  the 
healing  of  diseases  with  the  teaching  of  the  Gospel. 
As  soon  as  it  was  deemed  advisable,  the  Ophthalmic 
Hospital  at  Canton  was  placed  under  the  patronage 


144  Pioneer  Missionaries 

of  this  society.  One  object  of  this  organization  was 
to  encourage  those  in  the  medical  profession  to  come 
and  practice  gratuitously  among  the  Chinese.  The 
hospitals  which  to-day  are  found  in  China,  with 
their  corps  of  trained  physicians  and  able  assistants, 
are  largely  the  outgrowth  of  Dr.  Parker's  efforts. 
He  was  urgent  in  his  desire  for  training  young  men 
for  medical  service,  and  for  the  education  of  Chinese 
youths  in  surgery  and  medicine. 

In  1839  and  1840  occurred  the  Opium  War,  that 
bitter  conflict  between  China  and  England.  Such 
hostilities  took  place  that  Dr.  Parker  was  at  last  com- 
pelled to  close  his  hospital  for  a  time,  and  after  seven 
years  of  constant  and  arduous  toil  he  returned  to 
America  for  rest  and  recuperation. 

When  in  his  native  land,  he  related  to  vast  audi- 
ences the  story  of  his  labors  in  China.  He  visited 
Washington,  where  he  interested  our  government 
to  make  an  effort  to  establish  friendly  relations  be- 
tween China  and  America.  At  a  personal  interview 
with  Daniel  Webster,  he  suggested  the  expediency  of 
sending  a  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  China.  Meas- 
ures then  advocated  bore  rich  fruit  in  a  short  time. 
After  visiting  the  large  cities  of  the  United  States 
he  sailed  for  Europe,  and  in  England,  Scotland  and 
France  urged  the  importance  of  medical  mission- 
aries in  China.  He  created  wide  and  enthusiastic  in- 
terest ;  his  measures  met  with  the  highest  commenda- 
tion, and  his  plans  obtained  a  firm  support.     Co- 


Peter  Parker  145 

operation  was  secured  with  newly  organized  soci- 
eties. After  visiting  the  large  cities  of  England  and 
Scotland  and  holding  many  meetings,  he  went  to 
Paris.  While  in  Paris  he  met  Louis  Philip,  King  of 
France,  and  other  noted  persons.  During  his  visit 
to  Europe  and  America,  nearly  seven  thousand  dol- 
lars was  raised  for  the  Medical  Missionary  Society. 
Besides  this  sum,  he  had  awakened  a  new  and  a  gen- 
eral interest  in  medical  missions;  he  had  received 
pledges  of  annual  donations ;  definite  plans  had  been 
matured  for  sending  forth  physicians  and  surgeons 
for  the  advancement  of  the  great  work,  and  arrange- 
ments had  been  made  for  educating,  both  in  England 
and  the  United  States,  Chinese  youths  for  the  medi- 
cal work. 

On  June  13,  1842,  he  sailed  again  for  China,  but 
this  time  there  sailed  with  him  a  loving  helpmeet, 
for,  in  1 84 1,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Harriet  Web- 
ster, of  Washington,  who  was  a  relative  of  Daniel 
Webster  and  Rufus  Choate.  On  November  5,  1842, 
they  arrived  at  Canton.  As  Mrs.  Parker  was  the 
first  foreign  lady  to  reside  in  Canton,  great  curiosity 
was  manifested  by  the  natives,  who,  from  boats, 
housetops  and  streets,  attempted  to  see  her. 

With  unremitting  energy  and  unfaltering  courage, 
Dr.  Parker  resumed  his  work,  and  the  hospital  was 
again  thronged.  Although  there  were  times  when 
their  lives  and  property  were  in  danger,  times  that 
demanded  watchfulness  and  caused  suspense,  times 


146  Pioneer  Missionaries 

of  fearful  conflagrations,  when  one  thousand  houses 
were  burned  and  they  were  compelled  to  flee  from 
the  flames,  yet  with  faith  and  determination  the  great 
work  was  uninterrupted. 

The  United  States  Government  at  last  arranged 
for  terms  of  intercourse  with  China,  and  Caleb  Cush- 
ing  was  sent  as  Commissioner  to  negotiate  a  treaty 
between  the  two  nations.  The  result  was  that  Dr. 
Parker  was  appointed  by  the  President,  Secretary 
and  Chinese  interpreter  to  the  Legation  to  China. 
This  appointment  Dr.  Parker  accepted,  although  he 
knew  that  to  seek  a  recognition  and  a  definite  com- 
mercial standing  for  the  United  States  in  China  was 
a  colossal  undertaking.  Obstacles,  one  after  an- 
other, disheartening  and  apparently  unsurmountable, 
called  for  great  firmness,  patience  and  judgment, 
yet  Dr.  Parker  was  the  one  man  to  conquer,  step  by 
step,  until  the  end  was  attained.  The  substance  of 
programmes,  then  wisely  initiated  by  Caleb  Cushing 
and  Dr.  Parker,  have  since  been  essentially  carried 
out  by  the  United  States  Government  in  its  relations 
to  China.  His  one  aim  was  that  China  might  change 
its  restrictive  policy,  discontinue  its  bigotry  and  idol- 
atry, its  prejudice  and  oppression  and  stand  forth 
like  other  nations,  taking  its  place  among  the  Chris- 
tian governments  of  the  world.  For  this  purpose  he 
bent  his  energies,  framed,  addressed  and  translated 
important  documents  to  both  the  Chinese  Emperor 
and  authorities,  as  well  as  to  the  Secretary  of  State 


Peter  Parker  147 

in  the  United  States.  Ever  watchful  was  he  of  the 
best  interests  of  both  his  native  and  his  adopted 
country,  and  it  was  his  earnest  aim  to  act  impartially, 
and  by  negotiations  a  treaty  of  peace,  amity  and 
commerce  was  finally  concluded  between  the  United 
States  and  China.  The  treaty  brought  about  was  at 
length  formally  ratified  on  August  4,  1845,  ^^^  the 
rights  of  Americans  residing  or  conducting  business 
in  China  were  duly  recognized. 

In  1846,  Dr.  Parker  received  the  appointment  to 
act  as  Charge  d'Affaires,  ad  interim,  occasioned  by 
the  death  of  Mr.  Everett,  who  was  Commissioner  to 
the  Chinese  Empire.  The  labors  attendant  upon  this 
honor  and  position  were  arduous  in  the  extreme. 
The  magnitude  of  this  work  would  have  appalled  an 
ordinary  man,  for  no  former  duty  was  laid  aside  or 
diminished.  Redoubled  efforts  were  made  to  effect 
important  results.  A  series  of  fruitless  formalities, 
continuing  day  after  day,  at  last  resulted  in  the  meet- 
ing of  foreign  and  Chinese  Ministers.  These 
services  for  the  government,  with  hospital  duties, 
church  services  and  all  the  duties  met  by  teacher, 
preacher,  doctor  and  diplomatist,  together  with  end- 
less efforts,  vast  responsibilities,  bitter  disappoint- 
ments and  heavy  trials,  made  a  burden  too  great ;  so. 
weary,  worn  and  ill,  he  was  compelled  to  resign  his 
position  and  return,  in  1855,  to  America. 

With  the  long  sea  voyage,  health  and  strength 
gradually  returned,  but  the  troubles  in  China  steadi- 


148  Pioneer  Missionaries 

ly  thickened.  So  grave  was  the  situation,  so  compli- 
cated the  relations  between  American  merchants  and 
Chinese  authorities,  that  Dr.  Parker  was  urgently  re- 
quested to  accept  the  President's  appointment  and 
return  at  once  as  United  States  Commissioner  to 
China.  Dr.  Parker  accepted,  and  in  five  months  was 
again  in  China,  striving,  hopeful,  confident  of  access 
to  the  Manchoo  Court ;  seeking  to  suppress  the  state 
of  revolution  and  anarchy;  aiming  for  the  develop- 
ment of  a  progressive,  strong,  commercial  standing, 
and  praying  that  China  should  acknowledge  Eng- 
land, France  and  America  as  her  equals  and  friends. 
One  of  his  first  measures  was  an  attempt  to  discon- 
tinue the  revolting  traffic  in  Chinese  coolies,  many 
of  whom  were  barbarously  seized,  cruelly  sold  into 
slavery,  or  atrociously  murdered. 

Affairs  continued  to  grow  worse,  American  boats 
were  fired  at,  foreigners  were  threatened,  riots  en- 
sued, hostilities  increased,  and  the  courts  became 
more  involved.  Unremittingly,  with  vigor,  spirit 
and  perseverance  unsurpassed,  Dr.  Parker  labored 
to  create  a  better  feeling  toward  Americans;  pre- 
pared schedules,  decrees  and  regulations,  which 
should  be  enforced ;  but  the  continued  stubborn  atti- 
tude and  the  cool  indifference  of  the  Imperial  Com- 
missioner Yeh  seemed  immovable.  Firm  protests 
and  tedious,  repeated  controversies  occurred  con- 
cerning the  revision  of  the  treaty,  but  at  length,  in 
part,  the  much  coveted  concession  was  secured.    To 


Peter  Parker  149 

be  instriimeiitally  the  cause  of  such  an  undertaking 
is  in  itself  a  Hfe-work.  With  the  firm  conviction 
that  he  had  accompHshed  all  that  was  possible,  Dr. 
Parker  resigned  and  left  China,  August  2y,  1857. 
The  revision  of  the  treaty,  which  was  formally  rati- 
fied, October  24,  1858,  was  largely  due  to  the  inde- 
fatigable efforts  of  Dr.  Parker.  It  permitted  a  resi- 
dent Minister  at  the  Imperial  Court  of  Peking;  it 
made  provision  for  the  revision  of  tariffs;  it  con- 
tained a  full  statement  of  religious  toleration.  Many 
of  the  opportunities  now  given  to  Americans  who  re- 
side in  China,  and  the  commercial  advantages  con- 
cerning both  importation  and  exportation  of  goods, 
have  been  largely  due  to  these  labors  of  Dr.  Parker. 
Upon  his  return  to  America,  honors  from  many 
societies  were  conferred  upon  him.  While  living  in 
Washington,  he  was  ever  doing  for  the  advance- 
ment of  the  country,  vmtil  on  January  10,  1888,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-three,  his  life-work  closed  for- 
ever. His  interest  during  these  last  days  was  as 
constant,  as  full  of  trust  and  faith,  as  in  the  earlier 
days.  Conspicuous  and  widely  beneficial  had  been 
his  achievements,  both  in  China  and  in  America.  To 
those  of  coming  generations  must  be  given  the  work 
that  was  taken  up,  carried  onward,  and  borne  up- 
ward by  such  a  mighty  man  of  unbounded  faith  and 
determination. 


JOHN    SCUDDER,   M.D. 

Born  September  3,  1793. 
Died  January  13,  1855. 

Among  the  names  which  stand  high  in  the  annals 
of  Foreign  Missions  is  that  of  Dr.  John  Scudder. 
The  family,  including  the  wives,  has  given  almost 
six  hundred  years  of  service  among  heathen  nations. 

The  founder  of  the  Missionary  family  was  Dr. 
John  Scudder — the  subject  of  this  little  sketch.  He 
was  born  on  September  3,  1793,  in  Freehold, 
N.  J.  His  father,  Joseph  Scudder,  was  a  man  of 
note  in  the  community,  a  lawyer  of  no  small  ability, 
and  fairly  well-to-do — a  strong,  stern  man.  His 
mother,  Maria  Johnstone,  was  of  an  old  honored 
family,  refined,  cultured  and  withal  very  religious. 

John  was  one  of  several  children,  and  consecrated 
to  God,  as  he  was,  from  infancy  he  early  showed 
traits  of  a  devotional  and  godly  nature.  A  testimony 
of  his  mother  is,  "I  scarcely  know  when  he  was  con- 
verted ;  he  was  always  good."  Notwithstanding  this 
fact,  however,  he  had  no  idea  that  he  was  a  "saint," 
and  felt  keenly  the  shortcomings  and  faults  common 
to  all  men. 

Faithful  in  his  studies,  he  entered  Princeton  Col- 


John  Scudder  151 

lege  in  his  sixteenth  year,  and  was  graduated  in 
1813.  It  was  his  great  wish  to  be  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel,  but  his  father  was  opposed  to  it,  and  so  he 
chose  "the  healing  art"  as  being  one  in  which 
peculiar  opportunities  would  inevitably  present  them- 
selves for  speaking  "the  word  in  season."  Putting 
himself  under  the  care  of  the  then  eminent  Dr.  David 
Hosack,  of  New  York,  he  worked  so  hard  and  ef- 
ficiently, that  in  181 5  he  was  graduated  with  honor 
from  the  New  York  Medical  College.  Truly, 
"there's  a  Divinity  that  shapes  our  ends."  This  com- 
pulsory "choice"  of  profession  made  Dr.  Scudder 
the  first  medical  missionary  to  India,  and  possibly 
to  the  foreign  field  anywhere;  and  in  fulfilling  the 
law  of  obedience  to  parents  he  secured  also  the  long- 
ing of  his  heart,  and  was  in  due  time  ordained  to  the 
Gospel  ministry.    But  we  anticipate. 

After  graduation,  of  course  the  next  thing  of  great 
importance  was  to  find  a  suitable  place  in  which  to 
practice  his  profession.  He  prayed  over  the  matter, 
as  he  did  over  all  his  affairs,  and  chose  as  the  best 
opening  New  York  City,  then,  as  now,  the  magnet 
drawing  professional  and  commercial  men  to  itself. 
He  was  introduced  by  a  friend  to  a  family  named 
Waterbury,  living  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  city. 
The  widowed  mother,  two  unmarried  daughters  and 
two  sons  formed  this  cultured  household,  and  the 
young  doctor  thought  himself  fortunate  in  finding 
so  good  a  home  for  himself.     Being  positively  re- 


152  Pioneer  Missionaries 

ligious  in  his  own  nature,  he  grieved  to  find  that 
these,  who  were  so  lovely  in  all  other  ways,  cared  but 
little  for  the  Christ  he  so  adored,  and  therefore  he 
set  himself  at  work  to  win  them  to  the  Saviour. 

He  felt  drawn  very  especially  toward  the  eldest 
daughter  at  home,  Harriet,  who  was  a  beautiful  girl, 
of  engaging  manners  and  gentle  spirit.  She  re- 
sponded, not  only  to  his  affection,  but  also  to  his  ef- 
forts for  her  true  conversion  to  Christ;  and  to  her, 
under  God,  may  be  ascribed  much  of  his  after  suc- 
cess in  life,  for  as  his  wife  she  was  his  "helpmeet" 
in  every  particular. 

Nor  did  he  rest  with  the  conversion  of  Harriet, 
but  with  earnest  prayer  and  judicious  conversation 
he  succeeded  in  making  his  Jesus  so  attractive  that 
the  entire  family  became  Christians. 

As  soon  as  possible,  after  finding  a  temporal 
home,  the  doctor  sought  a  place  which  would  be  to 
him  a  spiritual  home.  He  settled  upon  the  Dutch 
Reformed  Church,  in  Franklin  Street — the  Rev. 
Christian  Bork,  pastor.  Here  he  found  the  strong 
meat  suitable  to  his  strong  soul  and  rejoiced  in  it 
personally ;  but  he  discovered  that  the  preaching  was 
exclusively  to  the  converted  portion  of  the  congre- 
gation. This  was  not  in  accord  with  the  evangelistic 
ideas  of  the  young  enthusiast,  and  he  often  con- 
versed with  his  pastor  upon  the  propriety  of  "calling 
sinners  to  repentance."  Finding  his  arguments  of 
no  avail,  he,  with  his  pastor's  full  consent,  made 


John  Scudder  153 

special  effort  for  the  conversion  of  the  youth  of  the 
church,  and  before  long  blessed  results  followed.  He 
also  worked  in  the  chapel  of  the  Rutgers  Street  Pres- 
byterian Church,  for  his  heart,  though  loyal  to  the 
church  of  his  choice,  was  with  all  God's  people  of 
any  and  every  evangelical  denomination. 

Dr.  Scudder's  success  as  a  physician  was  conspicu- 
ous. Thoroughly  skilled  in  his  profession,  his  faith- 
ful and  intelligent  care  of  every  case,  together  with 
a  bright,  cheerful,  attractive  manner,  made  him 
many  friends  and  gave  him  a  lucrative  practice,  the 
income  from  which  far  exceeded  their  needs,  and 
enabled  him  and  his  dear  wife  to  live  in  great  com- 
fort. 

And  now  occurred  one  of  the  "little  things"  which 
sometimes  count  for  so  much.  He  was  visiting,  pro- 
fessionally, at  one  of  the  Christian  homes  in  New 
York,  and  while  waiting  admittance  to  the  sick 
room  picked  up  a  booklet  with  the  title,  "The  Con- 
version of  the  World,  or  the  Claims  of  Six  Hundred 
Millions,  and  the  Ability  and  Duty  of  the  Churches 
Representing  Them."  He  borrowed  the  book,  read 
and  re-read  it,  until  his  whole  being  was  aflame  with 
the  subject  matter.  He  prayed  over  it,  and  was  soon 
convinced  as  to  the  necessity  and  utility  of  foreign 
missions.  He  heard  the  call,  "Come  over  and  help 
us,"  and  cried  out  from  the  bottom  of  his  heart, 
"Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do ;"  for  his  duty 
in  the  matter  was  not  immediately  clear  to  him.    His 


154  Pioneer  Missionaries 

wife  married  him  as  a  rising  New  York  physician, 
not  as  a  foreign  missionary,  before  whom  were  un- 
known hardships.  His  baby  girl,  two  years  of  age, 
was  it  right  to  take  her  to  a  heathen  land?  His 
father,  a  stern  autocrat  of  the  old  school,  positively 
forbade  his  son's  wild  scheme  to  give  up  all  his 
worldly  prospects  of  fame  and  fortune,  and  threat- 
ened to  outcast  and  disinherit  him  if  he  dared  disobey 
him.  His  large  circle  of  patients  who  trusted  and 
depended  upon  his  skill  appealed  to  him  strongly,  and 
the  Christian  work  he  was  doing  in  a  wicked  city 
was  not  to  be  lightly  given  up.  But  through  all,  and 
in  all,  came  a  voice  saying,  "Go  preach  the  Gospel 
to  the  heathen,"  and  beyond  all,  and  above  all,  was 
the  Saviour  himself — "Follow  me,  and  I  will  make 
you  a  physician  and  preacher  to  the  benighted  ones." 
The  wife  was  to  be  made  the  test  as  to  the  call.  If 
she  agreed  there  would  be  no  further  doubt.  Again 
prayer,  long  and  eager,  and  then  the  conference  be- 
tween the  two  whose  lives  were  linked  together. 
The  noble  woman  responded  nobly  to  the  great  call, 
and  the  decision  was  made.  Nor  was  this  an  easy 
task  in  those  days.  Then  it  meant,  in  all  probability, 
life-long  separation  from  all  the  dear  ones  at  home. 
It  meant  children  born  and  reared  in  a  land  of  moral 
and  spiritual  darkness.  It  meant  "enduring  hard- 
ships." It  also  meant  following  Christ,  and  that 
was  enough  to  counterbalance  all. 

Just  about  this  time,  the  American  Board  of  Com- 


John  Scudder  155 

missioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  of  Boston,  was  look- 
ing for  a  Christian  physician  to  send  out  with  a  party 
which  were  soon  to  start  for  India.  Dr.  Scudder 
offered  himself,  was  accepted,  and  began  to  make 
preparation  at  once  for  sailing.  When  the  little  fam- 
ily— for  of  course  little  Maria  must  go  also — left 
New  York,  the  Fulton  Street  dock  was  crowded  with 
friends,  who  wished  them  "Godspeed."  The  doctor, 
with  enthusiasm  and  delight  in  every  feature,  ap- 
peared as  if  he  were  going  on  a  mere  pleasure  trip. 
"Only  give  us  your  prayers,  that  is  all  I  ask,"  were 
his  parting  words. 

On  June  8,  18 19,  the  missionary  party,  consisting 
of  Messrs.  Scudder,  Spaulding,  Winslow  and  Wood- 
ward, and  their  wives,  sailed  from  Boston  on  the 
brig  Indies,  Captain  Wills,  bound  for  Calcutta. 
With  such  a  goodly  and  godly  band,  it  would  have 
been  strange  had  not  goodness  and  godliness  pre- 
vailed on  that  memorable  voyage  of  four  months. 
Great  blessings  followed  the  services  held,  and  many 
were  converted.  All  arrived  safely  at  Calcutta  about 
the  middle  of  October,  18 19.  Mrs.  Woodward  be- 
came ill,  and  consequently  Dr.  Scudder  and  family 
had  to  stay,  while  the  Winslows  and  Spauldings  soon 
left  for  Ceylon. 

On  October  22,  little  Maria  died  suddenly  and 
was  buried  in  Calcutta,  and  very  soon  after  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Scudder  went  to  Jaffna,  their  appointed  station, 
where,  within  a  few  weeks,  they  were  called  upon  to 


156  Pioneer  Missionaries 

lose  a  second  child  of  a  week  old,  on  February  25, 
1820.  Plunging  into  the  work  of  learning  the  Tamil 
language,  they  in  due  time  acquired  it,  and  from 
that  time  on  the  great  and  sole  object  in  life  was  to 
make  known  to  all  around  them,  high  and  low, 
the  Saviour  of  mankind — the  "Jehovah  Jesus,"  as  he 
delighted  to  name  him.  Schools  were  started,  and 
personal  work  among  the  children  was  begun. 

That  which  distinguished  Dr.  Scudder  from  all 
his  contemporaries  was  the  fact  that  he  combined 
medical  and  surgical  aid  with  the  preached  word.  It 
was  this  which  gave  him  so  much  influence.  Those 
who  have  been,  or  are  being  relieved  from  bodily 
pain  or  infirmity,  will  listen  kindly  and  patiently  to 
the  healer,  even  though  his  teachings  do  not  coincide 
with  their  own  ideas.  Thousands  came  to  be  cured, 
and  none  left  without  having  heard  the  message  of 
truth  and  the  invitation  of  Christ  to  "come  and  be 
saved."  Another  and  important  part  of  the  doctor's 
work  was  the  training  of  medical  students,  who  after- 
ward did  much  good  to  their  fellow-countrymen. 

Dr.  Scudder  could  not  remain  in  one  place.  He 
saw  the  need  of  evangelistic  work  among  the  out- 
lying masses  of  the  people  and  he  was  continually  on 
the  move,  touring  from  town  to  town  and  village  to 
village.  He  soon  found  also  that  the  population  was 
so  great,  that  the  same  places  and  people  could  not  be 
repeatedly  visited  and  instructed  in  Christian  knowl- 
edge, so  he  was  indefatigable  in  the  distribution  of 


John   Scudder  157 

Christian  literature,  Bibles,  tracts  (many  of  which 
he  himself  prepared),  and  leaflets  were  scattered,  not 
broadcast,  but  most  judiciously,  wherever  he  went. 
His  custom  in  this  distribution  was  to  discover 
whether  the  applicant  or  recipient  could  read,  and 
then  to  give  the  book  or  tract  with  his  own  hand  and 
with  a  word  of  warning  and  exhortation.  In  this 
way,  during  his  many  tours,  he  distributed  literature, 
literally,  by  the  "cart-load." 

Excessive  work  and  exposure  to  the  heat  told  on 
even  his  large  and  robust  frame,  and  as  early  as 
182 1  shattered  his  constitution,  and  in  1828  he  was 
ordered  to  go  to  Madras  and  thence  to  Bangalore, 
for  the  purpose  of  recruiting  his  health.  The  change 
did  him  good.  The  trip  also  opened  the  way  for 
founding  an  American  Mission  in  Madras  and,  in 
1836,  the  Board  appointed  him  and  Mr.  Winslow  to 
that  city.  The  scope  this  gave  for  more  extensive 
touring  and  enlarged  spheres  of  usefulness  was 
eagerly  accepted,  and  now  Conjeevaram,  Vellore, 
Tiruvaarmamalai,  Pondicherry,  Mayaveram,  Kam- 
bakonam,  Tranquebar,  Nyapatam  and  many  other 
important  centers  of  heathenism  were  visited.  He 
was  opposed,  persecuted,  stoned,  but  all  to  no  effect; 
he  kept  on  preaching  the  word,  distributing  Bibles 
and  tracts,  and  healing  the  sick,  until  finally,  in  1841, 
his  health  failed  utterly,  and  his  left  arm  was  partial- 
ly paralyzed. 

During  these  twenty-two  years  fourteen  children 


158  Pioneer  Missionaries 

had  been  born  to  these  devoted  missionaries.  The 
first  four  were  early  laid  to  rest,  but  the  others,  eight 
boys  and  two  girls,  grew  up  to  manhood  and  wom- 
anhood. Some  had  been  sent  to  the  home-land,  there 
to  be  cared  for  by  friends  or  to  struggle  for  them- 
selves as  best  they  could ;  the  younger  ones  were  still 
with  them.  When  he  found  nothing  else  would  save 
him  to  further  work,  he  consented  to  take  furlough 
to  America.  He  began  at  once  to  improve  on  the 
voyage,  and  by  the  time  he  reached  New  York  was 
able  to  work  again.  For  he  could  not  be  silent.  If 
he  could  not  preach  to  the  heathen  he  must  preach 
about  them;  and  this  he  did.  From  north  to  south, 
from  east  to  west  he  traveled,  telling  his  experiences, 
arousing  interest  in  foreign  missions,  and  especially 
in  his  beloved  India. 

He  did  a  most  wonderful  work  among  the  chil- 
dren. Wherever  he  went  the  little  ones  flocked  to 
hear  him.  Many  received  from  his  hand  little  books 
in  which  he  wrote  their  names  and  his  autograph, 
with  often  a  special  message  or  verse  of  Scripture. 
In  this  way  great  enthusiasm  was  enkindled  among 
the  youth,  and  hundreds  received  impressions  which 
were  lasting,  and  resulted,  in  not  a  few  instances,  in 
conversion  and  consecration  to  the  service  of  the 
Lord,  either  at  home  or  abroad. 

A  great  joy  of  this  visit  home  was  the  reconcilia- 
tion of  father  to  son.  The  stern  old  man  had  never 
forgiven    his    boy.     Letters    came    regularly    from 


John   Scudder  159 

India,  only  to  be  burned  without  being  opened;  or, 
after  years  had  passed,  to  be  given  to  the  dear,  brave, 
praying  mother.  But  when  the  long-lost  son  stood 
suddenly  and  unannounced  in  his  presence,  the  true 
paternal  feelings  overbore  all  else,  and  the  arms  of 
love  were  opened  once  more. 

Home  and  friends  and  children  and  comforts  of 
a  Christian  land  could  not^  however,  hold  this  de- 
voted man  from  his  chosen  life-work.  "There  is  no 
place  like  India.  It  is  nearer  heaven  than  America," 
he  would  say;  and  in  the  autumn  of  1846  he  and  his 
faithful  wife  and  two  daughters,  Harriet  and  Louise, 
sailed  again  for  the  East. 

Arriving  in  Madras,  he  worked  with  increased 
and  increasing  zeal;  praying,  preaching,  healing, 
writing  both  for  Christians  at  home  and  heathen 
around  him,  taxing  his  strength  to  the  utmost,  and 
rejoicing  in  his  work  amid  sorrows  and  trials. 

The  Madura  Mission,  recently  organized,  needed 
his  services  as  a  veteran  of  experience  and  physician 
of  ability,  and  he  was  accordingly  transferred  to  that 
place  for  a  time.  Here,  too,  he  threw  himself,  body 
and  soul,  into  the  work  of  evangelizing  the  surround- 
ing district,  and  his  name  is  still  cherished  by  many 
in  that  region. 

In  1849,  h^  is  again  found  in  Madras  with  two  of 
his  sons,  Henry  and  William,  who  had  returned  to 
India  as  missionaries,  and  again  there  is  the  strenu- 
ous life  of  touring,  distributing,  healing  the  sick  and 


j6o  Pioneer  Missionaries 

writing  for  publication.  The  great  blow  of  his  life 
now  fell  upon  him,  for  on  November  19,  1849,  after 
only  a  very  short  illness,  his  beloved  wife  died.  He 
was  heart-broken,  and  although  he  bore  up  wonder- 
fully under  this  and  other  trials — among  them  the 
news  of  the  death  of  his  son  Samuel,  which  event 
occurred  in  America  three  days  before  the  death  of 
the  mother — he  was  never  again  what  he  had  been 
before.  He  worked  harder  than  ever,  but  with 
greater  strain  upon  his  powers. 

Another  son,  Joseph,  joined  the  Mission  in  1853, 
and  with  his  brothers  helped  formed  the  Arcot  Mis- 
sion of  the  Reformed  Church. 

In  1854,  Dr.  Scudder's  health  was  so  poor  that  he 
was  urged  to  return  to  America.  This  he  would  not 
do.  "I  wish  to  die  in  India.  There  I  would  be 
buried,  side  by  side,  with  my  beloved  wife,"  he  said. 
At  length,  in  November,  he  was  persuaded  to  try  a 
sea  voyage  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  with  the  ex- 
pectation that  the  change  might  restore  to  him  some 
of  his  former  vigor.  The  voyage  and  rest  benefited 
him  so  much  that  the  veteran  warrior,  never  content 
unless  on  the  heels  of  the  enemy,  preached  and 
worked  unremittingly  for  several  weeks,  and  then 
feeling  quite  strong  and  well,  passage  was  engaged 
for  speedy  return  to  India. 

But  the  "Well  done"  of  the  Master — his  Jehovah 
Jesus — was  heard,  and  on  the  closing  day  of  the 
week,  at  about  the  closing  hour,  on  January  13,  1855, 


John   Scudder  i6i 

in  the  sixty-second  year  of  his  life,  "he  was  not,  for 
God  took  him."  A  service  had  been  appointed  for 
the  evening.  He  lay  down  to  rest  in  preparation. 
He  slept  and  awoke  in  heaven,  for  his  earthly  work 
was  finished. 

Sorrowfully  and  tenderly  Joseph  took  the  body  to 
Madras,  where,  in  accordance  with  his  wish,  it  was 
laid  beside  that  of  his  dear  wife,  among  the  people 
whom  he  loved  and  for  whom  he  labored  for  thirty- 
six  years.  A  blessed  heritage  have  his  numerous  de- 
scendants and  the  Church  of  God  in  the  memory  of 
this  good  man. 

A  consideration  of  some  of  the  characteristics  of 
Dr.  Scudder  may  not  be  amiss. 

In  appearance  he  was  tall,  well  formed,  strong; 
an  athlete  in  mould  and  power,  full  of  ardor  and 
vigor.  He  was  a  gentleman  by  birth,  breeding  and 
instinct;  refined  and  intellectual,  with  pleasing  ad- 
dress and  manner — one  who  could  stand  before 
princes  and  hold  his  own.  He  was  tender  and  true 
as  husband,  father  and  friend,  though  his  intensely 
religious  nature  made  him  severe,  even  stern  toward 
those  who  were  dearest,  if  they  did  wrong  or  were 
impenitent. 

He  was  full  of  enthusiasm  in  regard  to  his  profes- 
sion of  medicine,  but  used  his  art  solely  as  a  means 
to  an  end.  His  main  business  was  "Preach  the  Gos- 
pel," and  all  things  and  powers  were  impressed  into 
the  service,  but  made  subservient  to  that  end.     He 


1 62  Pioneer  Missionaries 

was  simple-hearted  in  his  behef  and  preaching.  The 
straight  Gospel  message  was  enough  for  him,  and 
he  marveled  when  hearers  would  not  believe.  His 
theme  constantly  was,  "You  are  lost !  Jehovah  Jesus 
has  made  atonement,  believe  and  be  saved !'' 

He  was  deeply,  sincerely  spiritual.  With  some, 
this  trait  is  unattractive.  Not  so  with  him.  It  was 
his  charm.  In  conversation  he  invariably  introduced 
religion,  and  did  so  without  giving  offence.  He  was 
a  tall  man  in  every  particular — in  body,  mind  and 
spirit — and  his  whole  being  was  entirely  consecrated 
to  his  God.  By  earnest  Bible  study,  prayer  and  fast- 
ing he  entered  into  "the  deep  things  of  God." 

And  he  received  the  reward  of  the  righteous.  He 
lived  a  life  of  usefulness  to  his  fellow  men.  His  mind 
was  full  of  faith  and  love,  and  his  end  was  peace. 
All  his  children  became  true  Christians ;  nine  of  the 
ten  became  foreign  missionaries — the  other  died  in 
preparation  for  the  same  great  work.  Twelve  of  his 
grandchildren  are,  or  have  been,  in  the  foreign  field 
as  missionaries,  and  most,  if  not  all  the  others,  are 
Christian  workers;  and  through  these  "he  being 
dead,  yet  speaketh." 


WIII.IAM    MII.I.ER 


WILLIAM    MILLER,   D.D.,    LL.D. 

Born  January  13,  1838. 

Scotland  may  well  feel  proud  of  the  noble  band  of 
missionaries  which  she  has  sent  forth  to  proclaim 
Christ  to  the  heathen  world.  They  have  earned 
highest  distinction  and  achieved  largest  success  in  all 
fields  of  missionary  service.  Such  men  as  Living- 
stone and  Duff,  Keeth,  Falkner  and  Mackay  reveal 
not  only  the  highest  nobility  of  Scottish  character, 
they  also  illustrate  the  best  traits  of  Christian  hero- 
ism and  missionary  power. 

At  the  present  day,  that  wonderful  land  of  John 
Knox  has  not  a  more  distinguished  representative  in 
missionary  service  than  the  Rev.  William  Miller,  the 
missionary  educator  in  India,  In  that  greatest  of  all 
fields  of  missionary  activity,  where  an  army  of 
nearly  two  thousand  five  hundred  missionaries — 
men  and  women — are  devoting  their  lives  of  high 
culture  and  deep  consecration  to  the  regeneration 
and  salvation  of  its  three  hundred  million  souls,  no 
one  has  done  more  faithful  or  more  efficient  service 
and  stands  in  higher  esteem  and  appreciation  among 
his  missionary  brethren  than  he,  the  Principal  of  the 
Madras  Christian  College.  This  is  the  more  remark- 
able since  only  a  few  years  ago  both  he  and  his  work 


164  Pioneer  Missionaries 

were  held  under  suspicion  and  were  roundly  abused 
by  a  host  of  missionary  brethren  in  that  land.  To 
him,  more  than  to  any  other  man,  is  due  the  credit  of 
fighting  and  winning  for  the  higher  educational 
work  a  recognized  and  honored  place  in  the  economy 
of  missions  in  that  land  of  the  East.  By  the  dis- 
tinguished success  which  he  has  achieved,  and  also 
by  his  force  and  nobility  of  character,  he  has  dis- 
pelled every  cloud  of  doubt  and  overcome  every  ob- 
stacle to  the  hearty  recognition  by  the  whole  mis- 
sionary body  of  the  legitimacy  and  importance  of 
the  educational  work  of  missions. 

Dr.  Miller  is  the  chief  apostle  of  this  educational 
department  of  missionary  activity.  Even  as  Alex- 
ander Duff  was  the  father  of  higher  education  in 
missions,  so  is  Principal  Miller  its  chief  and  best  ex- 
ponent in  India,  if  not  in  all  mission  fields  to-day. 

No  one  can  overestimate  the  value  and  importance, 
in  such  a  land  as  India,  of  those  missionary  institu- 
tions which  are  devoted  to  the  work  of  imparting  on 
Christian  lines,  to  non-Christian  youth,  the  highest 
culture,  the  best  thought  and  the  soundest  philosophy 
of  the  West.  This  leavening  of  the  thought  and 
the  institutions  of  that  land,  through  our  high-grade 
Christian  institutions,  stand  among  the  highest  am- 
bitions of  modern  missions.  It  has  also  been  the 
most  fruitful  in  results.  The  thirty-four  Protestant 
mission  colleges  in  India  (with  their  22,084 
students)  are  wielding  a  power  in  the  transformation 


William   Miller  165 

of  thought  and  in  the  introduction  and  enforcement 
of  the  highest  Christian  ideals  to  the  cultured  and 
ruling  classes  of  the  land,  such  as  no  other  depart- 
ment of  missionary  work  can  claim.  These  institu- 
tions stand  at  the  apex  of  a  system  of  six  thousand 
Protestant  schools,  in  which  not  far  from  half  a  mil- 
lion of  the  brightest  youths  of  the  land  are  being 
trained  and  led  into  the  mysteries  of  our  faith  in  its 
best  thought  and  life.  More  and  better  converts  to 
Christianity  are  made  through  these  schools  than 
through  any  other  agency  of  modern  times. 

Miller  was  born  on  January  13,  1838,  at  Thurso, 
in  the  northernmost  county  of  Scotland,  the  son  of  a 
merchant  and  ship  owner.  He  distinguished  himself 
in  his  studies  at  Aberdeen  and  Edinburgh  universi- 
ties. He  began  life  as  the  assistant  of  Dr.  Candlish, 
in  Edinburgh,  and  soon  manifested  great  ability  and 
energy.  He  arrived  at  Madras  in  December,  1862, 
a  young  man  of  twenty-four  years,  as  a  missionary 
of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  and  entered  at  once 
upon  his  duties  as  secretary  to  that  mission  in  Ma- 
dras. In  that  capacity  he  zealously  engaged  in  all 
departments  of  work — outdoor  preaching,  congrega- 
tional work,  female  education,  medical  aid  and  school' 
work. 

Soon,  however,  he  found  his  special  sphere  of  ac- 
tivity and  entered  heartily  into  the  task  of  reorgan- 
izing and  strengthening  the  college  established  by 
that  noble  man  of  God— Rev.  John  Anderson.  Thus, 


1 66  Pioneer  Missionaries 

from  1863  until  the  present,  he  has  presided  over  the 
destinies  of  that  great  institution,  and  by  his  wonder- 
ful organizing  genius,  his  intellectual  power,  his 
force  of  character,  and  moral  and  religious  purpose 
and  ideals,  he  has  built  it  up  until  it  stands  supreme 
as  the  largest  and  best  institution  of  learning  in  India 
and  in  all  the  East. 

It  has  more  than  seventeen  hundred  students,  of 
whom  nearly  seven  hundred  are  in  the  college  classes. 
It  has  a  body  of  loyal  alumni,  more  than  two 
thousand  strong,  of  whom  nearly  two  hundred  and 
fifty  are  Indian  Christians.  Its  staff  of  professors 
are  the  peers  of  any  in  the  East,  and  its  spacious  halls 
and  splendid  equipment  furnish  it  with  abundant  op- 
portunity for  thorough  work. 

This  institution  not  only  stands  pre-eminent  in  the 
work  which  it  is  accomplishing  in  the  lives  of  its 
students  and  alumni ;  it  is  also,  in  the  excellence  of  its 
organization  and  in  the  height  of  its  moral  purpose 
and  depth  of  its  Christian  spirit,  the  ideal  and  model 
which  inspires  and  directs  all  the  other  Christian 
schools  of  the  land. 

In  the  development  of  the  Madras  Christian  Col- 
lege, Dr.  Miller  has  not  only  had  controlling  influ- 
ence and  leadership  because  of  the  supremacy  of  his 
powers  as  an  educator,  organizer  and  Christian 
statesman ;  as  a  man  of  commanding  wealth  also  he 
has  been  able  to  maintain  and  push  forward  his  be- 
loved work  as  ordinary  missionaries  could  not.     In 


William  Miller  167 

the  erection  of  the  stately  halls  and  splendid  hostels, 
or  homes  of  the  institution,  and  in  the  general  con- 
duct and  improvement  of  its  work,  he  and  his  family 
have  invested  financially  a  large  fortune;  and  he  still 
gives  lavishly  of  his  inherited  wealth  for  the  wisest 
development  of  the  work.  Rarely  have  been  com- 
bined in  one  man  such  large  resources  of  money,  of 
mind  and  of  spirit. 

Dr.  Miller  has  not  confined  his  energies  and  his 
wisdom  to  the  institution  of  which  he  is  the  head. 
He  has  done  excellent  service  to  the  country  as  a 
leading  member  of  educational  commissions,  not- 
ably the  one  of  1882,  when  he  not  only  gave  signal 
aid  in  shaping  the  educational  policy  of  the  govern- 
ment of  India;  he  also  valiantly  championed  the  edu- 
cational work  of  missions,  and  won  for  it  from  the 
State  that  appreciation  and  sympathy  which  educa- 
tional departmentalists  have  always  been  anxious  to 
take  away  from  it.  There  is  indeed  no  man  living 
who  has  done  more  to  shape  the  educational  policy 
of  India  and  to  further  the  interests  of  higher  and 
popular  education  alike  than  has  Principal  Miller. 

Lord  Napier  made  public  recognition  of  this  in  the 
English  House  of  Lords,  when  he  spoke  of  him  as 
"A  missionary  teacher,  known  alike  for  his  piety  and 
public  zeal,  whose  services  in  the  cause  of  higher  ed- 
ucation are  probably  unsurpassed  in  India." 

His  services  to  the  Madras  University  as  a  leading 
member  for  many  years  of  its  syndicate  have  been 


1 68  Pioneer  Missionaries 

even  more  marked.  His  voice  in  its  councils  has 
added  wisdom  to  its  deliberations,  and  his  judgment 
has  been  impressed  upon  all  its  affairs. 

In  like  manner,  his  presence  and  voice  have  exer- 
cised great  influence  during  more  than  a  third  of  a 
century  in  the  large  and  important  missionary 
gatherings  in  India.  More  than  anything  else,  it  has 
been  his  presence  at  missionary  conferences,  and  his 
weighty  deliverances  to  them,  which  has  allayed  the 
bitterness  and  animosity  of  many  too  ardent 
"evangelistic  missionaries"  against  educational  mis- 
sions, and  helped  to  work  such  a  transformation  in 
sentiment  as  to  give  this  department  of  missionary 
labor  great  popularity  among  missionaries  of  all  soci- 
eties. If  "imitation  is  the  best  form  of  praise,"  cer- 
tainly the  larger  portion  of  the  thirty- four  Protestant 
mission  colleges  of  India  are  a  psean  of  praise  to 
Dr.  Miller  and  his  colaborers.  And  the  fact  that 
more  than  eighty  foreign  Protestant  missionaries  are 
to-day  engaged  in  the  same  department  of  work  in 
that  land,  is  one  measure  of  the  esteem  in  which 
that  work  is  now  regarded  by  the  missions  of  the 
land. 

The  Madras  University  and  the  Madras  Govern- 
ment alike  evinced  their  wisdom  in  inviting  this  man 
of  broad  views  and  strong  principles  to  become  a 
member  of  the  Madras  Legislative  Council.  And  as 
a  member  of  that  august  legislative  body  he  has  ren- 
dered for  years  distinguished  service  to  that  great 


William   Miller  169 

land,  and  especially  to  that  "benighted  Presidency  of 
fifty-three  million  souls." 

Not  only  as  educator  and  administrator,  but  also 
as  public  speaker  and  writer,  has  Dr.  Miller  always 
found  most  interested  audiences.  He  is  not  a  great 
pulpit  orator,  and  yet  his  sermons  are  always  strong 
and  instructive.  He  has  enjoyed  the  unique  distinc- 
tion of  being  twice  invited  to  deliver  the  Convocation 
addresses  of  the  Madras  University;  and  never  was 
more  thoughtful  advice  offered  to  the  graduates  of 
that  institution  than  on  those  occasions. 

Thus  in  the  many  departments  of  missionary  edu- 
cational and  civic  life  has  the  subject  of  our  sketch 
found  distinction  and  most  useful  service ;  and  it  has 
been  not  only  because  he  is  a  man  of  intellectual 
power,  of  commanding  personality  and  of  religious 
conviction;  it  has  been  also  owing  to  this  deepest 
sympathy  with  India  and  her  people,  and  his  genuine 
appreciation  of  all  that  is  good  and  permanent  in  the 
civilization  and  religion  of  the  East.  India  has  never 
found  a  truer  friend  nor  a  more  sympathetic  helper 
than  he.  He  has  coupled  with  his  many  patient  en- 
deavors for  the  land  and  people  an  abiding  hope  that 
the  future  destiny  of  India  is  grand  and  inspiring. 

Listen  to  these  words  from  his  Convocation  Ad- 
dress, delivered  to  the  graduates  of  the  University 
of  Madras  in  1894 :  "I  cannot  lift  the  veil  that  hides 
the  future.  Nevertheless,  I  am  sure  that  if  life's 
burden  is  wisely  borne,  and  its  commonplace  duties 


170  Pioneer  Missionaries 

patiently  discharged  by  you,  and  by  the  generations 
to  which  your  character  and  influence  will  of  necessi- 
ty be  handed  down,  there  will  yet  arise  in  this  land 
of  yours  some  community  or  race,  some  city  or  in- 
stitution, something  (I  know  not  what)  in  which 
men's  thoughts  will  find  noble  utterance,  and  from 
which  their  energies  will  flame  nobly  forth ;  some- 
thing that  will  make  India  a  leader  in  the  march  of 
mankind  toward  its  appointed  goal." 

No  man  can  be  of  great  service  to  India  who  is 
not  imbued,  as  Dr.  Miller  is,  with  a  strong  hope  in 
the  future  greatness  of  that  people  of  ancient  glory 
in  the  East. 

He  has  also  written  several  books  which  reveal  the 
mastery  of  thought  and  nobility  of  purpose  by  which 
he  is  possessed. 

The  world  is  not  insensible  to  sterling  worth  and 
noble  service,  even  in  a  far-ofif  missionary  of  the 
cross.  The  subject  of  our  sketch  has  been  honored 
both  in  his  native  land  and  in  his  chosen  land.  The 
General  Assembly  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland — 
his  own  church — appreciates  his  services  and  ability. 
In  1893  it  appointed  him  to  the  Professorship  of 
Theology  at  the  Free  Church  College,  Edinburgh. 
This  was  an  honor,  however,  which  he,  without  hesi- 
tation, declined.  In  1896  it  again  unanimously  chose 
him  to  be  its  Moderator — the  highest  honor  within 
its  power  to  confer.  As  this  did  not  interfere  with 
his  life-work  in  India,  and  as  he  felt  that  it  was  more 


William   Miller  lyi 

a  compliment  to  the  missionary  cause  than  to  himself 
personally,  he  accepted  and  gracefully  occupied  the 
position,  which  very  few  of  the  most  distinguished 
sons  of  that  denomination  are  permitted  to  enjoy. 

It  was  while  he  was  Moderator  of  the  General 
Assembly  that  his  Indian  students  and  friends  pre- 
sented a  unique  address  to  the  General  Assembly. 
This  address,  which  was  signed  by  more  than  twen- 
ty-two hundred  native  gentlemen — including  some  of 
the  most  distinguished  men  in  South  India — is  a 
beautiful  tribute  of  appreciation  and  affection  to  the 
man  "whose  services  in  the  cause  of  higher  educa- 
tion, extending  over  a  period  of  thirty-three  years, 
have  never  in  this  part  of  the  world  been  surpassed, 
and  who  will  himself  live  in  the  memory  and  affec- 
tion of  many  a  generation  to  come."  They  ex- 
pressed to  the  Free  Church  their  deep  gratitude  for 
giving  to  their  country  Principal  Miller,  and  such  as 
he,  and  for  honoring  him  with  the  highest  gift  in 
their  possession.  The  large  majority  of  signers  of 
this  address  are  non-Christians. 

And  it  is  these  same  men,  the  graduates  of  the 
Madras  Christian  College,  who  recently  revealed 
their  love  to  their  principal  by  a  unique  method. 
Unwilling  to  await  his  decease  or  departure  from 
India,  they  determined  to  give  expression  to  their 
love  and  admiration  and  to  commemorate  his  self- 
denying  services  by  erecting  a  marble  statue  of  him 
in  the  city  of  Madras.    This  statue  was,  a  couple  of 


172  Pioneer  Missionaries 

years  ago,  unveiled  by  the  Governor  of  Madras,  It 
is,  if  I  mistake  not,  the  only  statue  erected  by  the 
people  of  India  to  a  western  benefactor,  as  it  is  the 
first  tribute  of  the  kind  ever  erected  in  that  land  for  a 
Christian  missionary.  With  many  other  things,  it 
goes  to  prove  that  no  other  missionary  educator,  nor 
any  other  educator  whatever,  has  so  influenced  the 
young  men  of  the  land  and  gained  their  loyalty  and 
affection  as  Dr.  Miller.  And  more  beautiful  than  the 
splendid  buildings  of  his  beloved  college,  stand  the 
noble  band  of  cultured  men,  who  trace  to  him  some 
of  the  highest  blessings  of  their  life ;  more  enduring 
than  marble  statue  is  the  many-sided,  ennobling  in- 
fluence which  he  has  transmitted  to  his  "dear  boys," 
and  which  will  pervade  the  myriad  lives  and  institu- 
tions of  that  great  land. 

In  like  manner,  the  government  has  felt  the  royal 
worth  of  such  a  man  as  Dr.  Miller,  and  has  set  its 
seal  of  honor  upon  him,  not  only  in  the  positions  of 
large  influence  which  it  has  been  glad  to  offer  him, 
but  also  in  the  distinguished  Order  of  the  Companion 
of  the  Indian  Empire,  which  it  conferred  upon  him. 
But  no  honor  received  by  him  has  in  any  way  intoxi- 
cated him  or  diminished  the  value  of  his  service  for 
his  beloved  land  of  India. 

Though  seriously  impaired  in  health  during  the 
last  few  years,  and  abundantly  entitled  to  permanent 
rest  and  retirement,  after  his  arduous  labors  of  near- 
ly forty  years  in  the  tropics,  he  prefers  to  remain  at 


William   Miller  173 

his  post  and  to  serve  his  Master  and  the  people  of 
India,  far  away  from  his  beloved  hills  of  Scotland. 

It  is  the  enlightened  efforts  and  the  devoted 
services  of  such  a  man  of  God  as  Principal  Miller 
that  India  specially  needs  to-day.  Such  a  man  is 
worthy  to  lead  the  hosts  of  the  Lord  in  the  Christian 
conquest  of  that  historic  and  most  interesting  people. 
Such  a  life  is  also  a  vast  power  in  that  it  illustrates  to 
the  millions  of  India,  and  especially  to  the  cultured 
and  ruling  classes,  the  strength  as  well  as  the  beauty 
of  the  Christian  life.  He  has  revealed  to  the  young 
men  of  the  land  not  only  the  sweet  reasonableness  of 
our  faith,  but  also  the  glory  and  strength  of  that  life 
which  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God. 


JOHN   MURDOCH,  LL.D. 

Born  July  22,  1819. 

The  missionary  of  the  past  has  been  almost  ex- 
clusively a  clergyman.  Ordination  has  been  deemed 
all  but  essential  to  him.  The  broadening  of  the  field 
of  missionary  service  and  the  multiplication  of  de- 
partments of  missionary  activity  are  necessitating  a 
change  in  this  particular.  The  layman  is  becoming 
an  increasingly  important  factor  in  missionary  effort 
and  achievement.  The  subject  of  our  present  sketch 
neither  sought  ordination  nor  has  he  given  himself 
to  the  direct  work  of  preaching  the  Gospel.  And  yet 
he  has  been  one  of  the  most  faithful,  devoted,  capable 
and  successful  of  the  noble  band  of  men  who  have 
given  themselves  to  the  regeneration  of  India.  And 
he  stands  at  his  post  to-day,  with  zeal  and  vigor  un- 
abated, though  he  has  spent  fifty-eight  years  of 
ceaseless  toil  for  his  Master  and  is  the  oldest  Prot- 
estant missionary  in  the  land. 

John  Murdoch  was  born  at  Glasgow,  July  22, 
1 8 19,  and  is  now,  therefore,  in  his  eighty- fourth 
year — verily  a  ripe  old  age  for  a  man  of  his  nervous 
energy  and  incessant  toil.  He  was  educated  in  his 
native  city  and  took  a  partial  course  in  the  Glasgow 


John   Murdoch  175 

University.  To  this  he  added  a  normal  training 
course. 

In  1844  he  received  appointment  as  Headmaster 
of  the  Government  Central  and  Normal  Schools  at 
Kandy,  Ceylon ;  and  from  that  day  to  this  he  has 
given  himself  without  stint  to  the  intellectual  and 
spiritual  elevation  of  the  people  of  India  and  Ceylon. 
In  length  of  service  he  stands  first  among  the  mis- 
sionaries of  that  land.  Fifty-eight  years  of  strenu- 
ous endeavor  in  the  tropics — how  few  are  permitted 
to  enjoy  it! 

How  many  changes  has  he  been  permitted  to  wit- 
ness in  the  civilization  and  how  much  in  missionary 
achievement  during  his  nearly  six  decades  of  resi- 
dence in  the  East!  It  took  him  nearly  four  and  a 
half  months  to  travel  from  his  native  land  to  Ceylon, 
in  1844.  Now  he  makes  his  annual  visits  to  Great 
Britain  in  four  times  as  many  days  as  he  then  re- 
quired months.  And  he  has  lived  to  see  the  Prot- 
estant Christian  population  of  India  rise  from  sev- 
enty-five thousand  souls  to  more  than  a  million,  and 
he  has  the  blessed  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  he  has 
had  a  laudable  part  in  this  great  ingathering  of 
souls. 

He  has  had  conspicuous  share  in  increasing  the 
number  of  Protestant  schools  in  India  from  less  than 
two  thousand  to  fully  six  thousand  in  number,  with 
a  school  attendance  of  nearly  half  a  million — a  total 
seven  times  that  of  1844.     The  teachers  of  India 


176  Pioneer  Missionaries 

also,  in  whose  training  Dr.  Murdoch  has  had  so 
prominent  a  part,  have  multiplied  many-fold  during 
this  same  period. 

And  not  only  has  this  growth  been  great  exten- 
sively, intensively  also  has  the  development  been 
equally  marvelous.  The  character  of  the  schools,  of 
the  teaching,  of  the  Christian  community  and  of  the 
Christian  agency  and  Christian  literature  of  India 
to-day,  as  compared  with  those  of  half  a  century  ago, 
is  such  as  to  bring  cheer  and  confidence  to  the  friends 
of  missions  in  that  land.  And  yet  we  hear  some  still 
ignorantly  declaiming  about  "the  failure  of  mis- 
sions." 

Until  1849,  Dr.  Murdoch  gave  himself  to  educa- 
tional work,  and  in  this  found  excellent  preparation 
for  his  life-work  as  the  Nestor  of  Christian  literature 
in  the  East. 

During  his  holidays  as  a  teacher  he  was  ac- 
customed to  visit  mission  stations,  and  he  found 
them  very  deficient  in  evangelistic  literature  and  in 
school  books.  To  meet  this  want  he  established  a 
Religious  Tract  Society,  in  1847,  for  the  work  of 
which  he  took  over  a  small  printing-press  from  the 
Baptist  mission. 

In  1849,  h^  gave  up  educational  work  and  devoted 
himself  to  the  supply  of  Christian  literature.  In 
1855,  he  was  recognized  in  this  work  as  an  agent  of 
the  United  Church  of  Scotland.  Even  while  en- 
gaged in  this  line  of  activity  he  did  not  forget  other 


JOHN    MURDOCH 


John   Murdoch  177 

departments  of  missionary  labor.  He  visited  the 
coffee  plantations  of  Ceylon  and  took  an  active  inter- 
est in  evangelistic  labors  for  the  Indian  coolies  who 
were  imported  from  the  Peninsula.  He  visited  Tin- 
nevelly  with  a  view  to  request  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land mission  to  take  up  definite  work  for  these  much- 
neglected  coolies.  He  was  successful  in  inducing 
them  to  organize  the  Ceylon  Coolie  Mission,  which 
has  since  flourished  and  has  been  a  great  boon  to 
many  thousands  of  these  plantation  laborers. 

In  1858,  the  Christian  Vernacular  Education  So- 
ciety was  established  as  a  memorial  of  the  Indian 
Mutiny.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  became  at  once 
the  India  agent  of  this  society.  This  new  society 
had  three  objects  in  view — the  training  of  teachers, 
the  support  of  day  schools  and  the  supply  of  Chris- 
tian literature,  especially  for  schools. 

Of  the  three  training  schools  established,  only  one 
is  continued,  and  the  society  is  now  devoting  its 
strength  almost  entirely  to  the  production  and  dis- 
semination of  literature.  But  the  six  hundred  and 
seventy  teachers  trained  in  its  schools  are  still  per- 
petuating its  influence  in  the  land. 

From  the  first.  Dr.  Murdoch  has  been  the  anima- 
ting spirit  of  this  society.  With  a  view  to  the  prepa- 
ration of  the  best  school-books,  he  visited  and  studied 
the  problem  at  first  hand  in  many  lands.  From 
China  and  Japan,  in  the  far  East,  he  came  to  this  land 
of  the  remotest  West,  and  brought  all  his  observa- 


178  Pioneer  Missionaries 

tions  under  tribute  to  the  highest  usefulness  of  the 
society,  whose  well-being  was  so  largely  entrusted 
to  him.  Since  those  days,  this  society  has  been  re- 
baptized  into  a  new  name,  and  occupies  a  more  defi- 
nite province  of  labor.  It  is  now  called  the  Christian 
Literature  Society,  and  gives  itself  to  the  work  of 
producing  a  general,  as  well  as  a  school,  Christian 
literature. 

So  versatile  and  vigorous  has  Secretary  Murdoch 
been  during  the  last  few  years,  that  his  society  has 
sent  forth  an  ever-increasing  number  of  books, 
pamphlets  and  tracts  from  his  pen.  They  have  been 
addressed  with  equal  definiteness  to  Viceroy,  Gov- 
ernment, Educational  Department,  Missionaries, 
Christians  and  non-Christians,  and  have  impressed 
upon  all  the  veteran's  convictions  of  what  India 
needs  and  the  duty  of  all  alike  to  meet  that  need. 
Books  on  social  reform,  upon  religious  reform, 
upon  caste,  debt,  poverty  and  upon  a  dozen  other 
subjects  of  deep  interest  in  that  land  have  been  sent 
forth  from  the  press  in  quick  succession,  and  most 
of  them  were  the  products  of  his  earnest  energy,  and 
the  silent  witnesses  of  his  marvelous  fertility  in  a 
ripe  old  age. 

Dr.  Murdoch  has  also,  since  the  year  1866,  been 
the  India  agent  of  the  Religious  Tract  Society  and 
has  had  largely  the  management  of  its  extensive 
work  in  the  Peninsula.  He  also  visited  China  in  this 
capacity  and  brought  his  practical  wisdom  and  large 


John   Murdoch  179 

experience  to  bear  upon  the  subject  of  a  Christian 
literature  for  that  great  land  and  people. 

When  he  is  not  writing  and  transacting  the  direct 
business  of  the  two  societies,  at  his  headquarters  in 
Madras,  he  is  traveling  all  over  the  land,  superin- 
tending the  various  branch  societies  and  stimulating 
the  many  missions  which  he  visits  in  the  two  depart- 
ments so  dear  to  his  heart,  those  of  the  creation  and 
of  the  dissemination  of  a  healthy  Christian  literature. 
Even  upon  his  long  voyages  to  England  and  re- 
turn he  never  spends  a  day  idle.  The  writer  once 
voyaged  with  him  from  England  to  India,  and  was 
greatly  impressed  with  his  unwearied  diligence  in 
his  favorite  occupation  of  preparing  manuscript  for 
the  press.  A  more  absolute  devotion  to  his  life-work 
no  one  has  ever  shown  than  has  this  good  Scottish 
bachelor  brother,  who  is  undivorceably  wedded  to 
the  pen  and  the  press. 

Among  the  many  results  in  India  which  can  be 
traced  more  to  the  initiative  and  the  organized  effort 
of  Dr.  Murdoch  than  to  those  of  any  other  man  in 
all  the  history  of  missions  in  India,  are  the  follow- 
ing: 

(i)  Mission  Presses.  That  little  press  bought 
by  him,  in  1847,  was  one  of  the  first  of  a  great  host 
of  mission  presses  and  the  beginning  of  mission 
printing  establishments  for  India.  From  so  small  a 
beginning  has  grown  this  rapidly  multiplying  mis- 
sion agency.    There  are  to-day  forty-one  presses  and 


i8o  Pioneer  Missionaries 

publishing  houses  connected  with  the  Protestant  mis- 
sions of  India,  and  these  give  employment  to  at  least 
two  thousand  men,  in  the  purely  mechanical  work 
of  creating  this  Christian  literature,  which  annu- 
ally reaches  an  aggregate  of  two  hundred  million 
pages. 

(2)  To  this  we  must  add  the  eighteen  Christian 
Tract  and  Book  Societies,  which  are  vigorously 
pushing  the  sales  and  disseminating  the  output  of 
these  and  other  presses  in  the  land.  The  Madras 
Tract  Society  alone  (of  which  Dr.  Murdoch  is  the 
agent)  has  issued  forty  million  copies  of  its  books 
and  tracts.  Dr.  Murdoch's  other  society,  the  Chris- 
tian Literature  Society,  publishes  in  eighteen 
languages,  nearly  sixty  million  copies  of  books  and 
tracts  annually.  Who  can  measure  the  influence  ex- 
ercised by  these  societies ! 

(3)  Looking  again  at  the  character  of  this  litera- 
ture we  find  no  little  encouragement. 

Though  we  must  think  of  the  department  as  hav- 
ing not  as  yet  passed  its  infancy,  it  is  nevertheless 
producing  much  that  is  wholesome  and  strong  for 
the  enlightenment  of  the  people.  Considerable  is  pub- 
lished with  a  view  of  counteracting  the  pernicious 
influence  of  the  western  infidel  literature,  with  which 
the  land  is  flooded.  Much  also  is  sent  forth  by  our 
presses  to  show  the  error,  absurdity  and  inanity  of 
the  writings  of  Hinduism.  Millions  of  pages  are  is- 
sued with  the  special  object  of  commending  our 


John   Murdoch  i8i 

faith  as  a  system  of  truth  and  as  a  source  of  life  to 
non-Christians. 

Add  to  this  the  rapidly  developing  literature  that 
has  as  its  aim  the  nourishing  of  Christian  thought 
and  life  in  the  Christian  community,  and  those  high- 
er grade  books  which  are  intended  for  mission 
agents  and  others  who  seek  guidance  into  the  deep- 
est mysteries  of  our  faith.  School-books  and  other 
literature  for  the  young  also  command  and  receive 
considerable  attention. 

In  all  these  departments  of  Christian  literature, 
Dr.  Murdoch  has  been  a  pioneer;  and  he  has  spent 
many  busy  years  in  the  direction  and  encouragement 
of  others  in  the  same  line  of  effort. 

(4)  Following  his  initiative,  largely,  others  also 
have  entered  vigorously  into  the  work  of  publishing 
Christian  magazines,  both  in  English  and  in  the 
many  vernaculars  of  the  land.  At  present,  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-seven  Christian  newspapers  and  mag- 
azines, each  one  having  an  average  circulation  of 
one  thousand  copies,  are  published  by  the  Protestant 
missions  of  India.  These  periodicals  are  doing  a 
wonderful  work  in  the  creation  of  an  esprit  de  corps 
among  Christians,  and  in  the  dissemination  of  Chris- 
tian truth  among  non-Christians. 

What  we  especially  need  in  India  to-day  is  a  grow- 
ing number  of  men  upon  whom  the  mantle  of  Dr. 
Murdoch  may  fall ;  men  who  shall  give  themselves  en- 
tirely to  the  all-important  work  of  creating  a  worthy, 


1 82  Pioneer  Missionaries 

because  a  convincing,  an  inspiring,  and  a  win- 
ning Christian  literature  for  that  great  people.  The 
writer  will  never  forget  the  strong  and  exceedingly 
pathetic  appeal  made  by  Dr.  Murdoch  before  the 
great  Missionary  Conference  at  Bombay  ten  years 
ago,  in  which,  after  nearly  half  a  century  of  service, 
he  called  upon  younger  men,  in  large  numbers,  to 
take  up  this  most  important  work.  There  is  certain- 
ly not  a  more  inviting  department  of  missionary  ac- 
tivity than  this,  and  it  promises  to  become  in  the  near 
future  that  department  of  effort  which  will  stand 
supreme  in  influence  and  paramount  in  the  pervasive- 
ness and  permanence  of  its  power.  Beyond  even  the 
preacher,  the  teacher  and  the  administrator  is  the 
Christian  writer  in  India  to  become  the  man  of 
blessed  opportunity  and  of  supreme  power. 

Nor  is  it  enough  that  a  worthy  literature  be  pro- 
duced and  published;  it  also  must  be  disseminated. 
To  circulate  and  scatter  broadcast  over  the  land  such 
worthy  books  and  tracts  as  are  available  requires 
much  wisdom  and  perseverance.  Without  success 
in  this,  the  pen  and  press  are  all  but  useless.  And 
here  again  Dr.  Murdoch  has  been  eminently  active 
and  successful.  He  gave  himself  no  rest  in  his  effort 
to  bring  all  the  Christian  literature  of  the  land  within 
reach  of  those  who  most  needed  it.  And  the  many 
book  depositaries,  found  scattered  over  the  Peninsu- 
la bear  testimony  to  his  organizing  power  and  wis- 
dom in  this  direction. 


John   Murdoch  183 

The  work  which  has  been  accompHshed  by  this 
man  of  God  is  not  yet  adequately  appreciated,  even 
in  India,  where  he  has  spent  his  hfe.  It  is  true  that 
the  university  of  his  native  city  long  ago  recognized 
his  sterling  worth  by  conferring  upon  him  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Laws.  His  fellow-missionaries  also 
have  presented  to  him  warm  testimonials  of  their 
love  and  high  esteem.  But  he  is  very  retiring  and 
modest;  he  dislikes  and  flees  from  publicity.  But 
the  day  will  reveal  the  character  and  permanence  of 
the  results  of  his  work,  and  future  generations  of 
missionaries  and  native  Christians  in  India  will  rise 
up  to  call  him  blessed. 


REV.  JAMES  GILMOUR 

Born  June  12,  1843. 
Died  May  21,   1891. 

Many  years  before  the  subject  of  this  sketch  came 
upon  the  stage  of  Hfe,  the  way  was  prepared  in  Mon- 
goHa  for  the  coming  of  a  bright,  energetic  young 
Scotchman,  who  was  to  bring  spiritual  succor  and 
medical  aid  to  the  wandering  tribes  inhabiting  the 
Mongolian  plain.  As  early  as  181 7,  a  mission  was 
established  among  the  Mongolian  tribe  of  the  Buri- 
ats.  Self-sacrificing  men  had  taught,  healed  disease 
and  translated  the  entire  Bible  into  the  language  of 
the  people.  The  country  these  wandering  people  in- 
habit lies  between  Siberia  on  the  north  and  China  on 
the  south.  It  was  not  long  before  the  work  of  the 
first  missionaries  there  aroused  the  suspicion  of  the 
Russian  Government,  and  accordingly  they  were 
banished  from  Siberia,  just  as  their  work  was  be- 
coming encouraging.  Twenty-five  years  later,  the 
London  Missionary  Society  re-opened  the  mission, 
making  Peking  their  headquarters. 

Not  far  from  Glasgow  there  lived  a  Scottish  fam- 
ily remarkable  for  the  number  of  its  boys  and  the 
particularly  strict  training  under  which  they  grew. 
One  of  these  six  sons  was  James  Gilmour,  and  he. 


James  Gilmour  185 

with  his  playful,  happy  temperament,  combined  with 
a  deep  undertone  of  earnestness,  was  the  one  des- 
tined to  go  alone  to  instruct  and  help  the  solitary  in- 
habitants of  the  wild  and  lonely  plains  of  Mongolia. 
He  was  a  brilliant  student,  and  after  receiving  the 
degree  of  M.A.  at  Glasgow  University,  he  offered 
himself  to  the  London  Missionary  Society,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1867.  Then  entering  Cheshunt  College 
for  a  theological  training,  he  won  all  the  honors  that 
were  obtainable.  At  Highgate  there  was  an  insti- 
tution for  the  especial  instruction  of  those  who  were 
to  serve  in  foreign  fields,  and  young  Gilmour  was 
transferred  to  this  school,  in  1869.  About  this  time 
he  met  an  interesting  woman,  a  Mrs.  Swan,  a  sur- 
vivor of  that  small  band  of  missionaries  who,  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century  previous,  had  been  compelled  to 
leave  their  work  in  Mongolia  by  the  order  of  Em- 
peror Nicholas.  This  lady,  able  to  speak,  read  and 
write  in  the  Mongol  tongue,  inspired  the  eager  en- 
thusiast, who  heard  her  stories  of  life  among  those 
far-away  people,  some  of  whom  sent  letters  of  Chris- 
tian greeting  to  her  after  the  lapse  of  so  many  years. 
Undaunted  by  the  prospect  of  a  lonely  life,  full  of 
hardship,  amid  unknown  and  partially  wild  tribes, 
James  Gilmour  set  sail  for  China,  in  the  spring  of 
1870.  Peking  was  to  be  his  headquarters,  for  in  the 
winter  he  would  have  opportunity  to  work  among 
the  Mongols,  who  visited  the  capital  on  government 
duty,  or  for  trading;  and  during  other  months  of 


i86  Pioneer  Missionaries 

the  year  he  expected  to  share  their  Hfe  on  the  plains. 
He  had  instructions  to  "study  their  language  and 
literature,  make  acquaintance  with  the  Mongol 
people,  gather  information  respecting  localities  most 
suited  to  closer  intercourse  with  them,  and  the  forms 
of  labor  best  adapted  to  accomplish  the  great  pur- 
pose of  evangelizing  them."  Mr.  Gilmour  reached 
the  capital  of  China,  May  i8,  1870,  and  shortly  after 
the  foreign  population  of  that  whole  country  were 
alarmed  by  news  of  a  massacre  in  the  city  of 
Tientsin.  It  was  feared  that  Peking  would  also  be  the 
scene  of  bloodshed,  and  it  was  understood  that  the 
day  had  been  appointed  for  the  extermination  of 
foreigners  there.  But  on  that  day  a  violent  hurri- 
cane arose,  followed  by  a  rain,  lasting  twenty  hours ; 
and  thus  were  the  evil  intentions  of  the  mob  frus- 
trated. 

James  Gilmour  now  concluded  that  if  he  were  to 
reach  Mongolia  at  all,  he  must  take  his  opportunity 
while  there  was  a  period  of  quiet  and  peace.  Ac- 
cordingly, he  started,  in  company  with  some  Rus- 
sian merchants,  on  a  four  days'  journey  to  Kalgan, 
a  market-town  near  the  great  wall  of  China.  The 
Mongols  frequently  resort  to  Kalgan  to  purchase 
goods — their  name  for  the  place  is  "the  Gate."  Our 
young  missionary  decided  to  adapt  himself,  in  the 
matter  of  food  and  comforts,  entirely  to  the  mode  of 
life  of  the  people  among  whom  he  had  come  to  work 
and  live.     A  friend  wrote  of  him  thus:  "Gilmour 


James  Gilmour  187 

spared  himself  in  nothing,  but  gave  himself  wholly 
to  God.  He  kept  nothing  back.  All  was  laid  upon 
the  altar.  I  doubt  if  even  Paul  endured  more  for 
Christ  than  did  James  Gilmour.  I  doubt,  too,  if 
Christ  ever  received  from  human  hands  or  hearts 
more  loving  service." 

After  a  journey  of  fifty-four  days,  diversi- 
fied by  many  adventures,  James  Gilmour  found  him- 
self in  the  city  of  Kiachta  on  the  Russian  frontier. 
A  trader  gave  him  shelter,  and  here  he  succeeded  in 
obtaining  a  lazy  and  incompetent  teacher.  Finding 
this  a  poor  way  of  learning  the  new  language,  he  de- 
termined to  try  another  plan.  So  leaving  the  town 
behind  him,  he  crossed  the  frontier  into  Mongolia 
and  took  up  his  abode  with  a  Mongol  priest,  who 
promised  to  teach  him.  Here  he  lived  on  very  lim- 
ited fare,  called  "meal  tea,"  and  occasionally  frozen 
meat  boiled.  He  was  fond  of  this  tea  in  the  porridge 
stage,  so  it  was  reserved  for  him  by  the  natives  and 
called  "Scotland."  His  manner  toward  them  and 
their  love  for  him  were  attested  by  the  name  they 
gave  him,  "Our  Gilmour." 

He  learned  the  Mongol  language  faster  by  listen- 
ing to  the  talk  of  the  old  priest's  callers  than  by  the 
formal  lessons  which  his  host  thought  necessary  to 
impose  upon  him.  After  a  time  he  learned  to  escape 
these  lessons  by  taking  long  walks  into  the  country. 
After  securing  a  good  working  knowledge  of  the 
language  he  began  regular  trips  of  exploration  into 


i88  Pioneer  Missionaries 

the  surrounding  country.  On  one  of  these  trips  he 
found  for  his  cheer  some  of  the  old  converts  of  the 
first  missionaries  to  MongoHa.  Their  pleasure  at 
meeting  him  and  their  fondness  for  their  departed 
teachers  were  very  touching.  This  visit  to  the  head- 
quarters of  the  first  mission  was  a  comfort  and  en- 
couragement to  Gilmour,  but  for  a  while  longer  we 
find  him  gaining  new  experiences  and  overcoming 
fresh  difficulties  in  his  novel  life  among  the  Mongols. 
It  was  a  matter  of  wonder  to  his  new  friends  that 
a  grown-up  man  could  not  ride  horseback,  and  much 
amusement  was  afforded  them  by  his  attempts  at 
horsemanship.  To  show  them  what  he  could  do  in 
this  line  he  started  to  ride  some  hundreds  of  miles 
to  Kalgan,  taking  with  him  only  one  companion,  a 
Mongol.  He  was  so  fortunate  as  to  reach  the  place 
just  before  the  rainy  season,  and  obtaining  a  com- 
fortable room,  he  began  serious  study  of  the  written 
language.  He  advanced  so  much  that  ere  long  he 
could  read  the  Bible,  and  compose  and  write  in 
Mongol.  Then  followed  another  trip  to  the  ''Grass 
Land,"  accompanied  by  great  discomforts,  such  as 
diet  of  the  poorest,  tents  overrun  with  insect  life,  and 
the  annoyances  arising  from  the  privilege  which  all 
Mongols  assumed  of  entering  his  presence  at  any 
time  and  at  all  hours.  In  the  fall  of  1871,  Mr.  Gil- 
mour, now  an  expert  in  the  Mongol  tongue,  returned 
to  Peking,  after  having  been  absent  fifteen  months  in 
Kalgan  and  the  Mongolian  plains. 


James  Gilmour  189 

In  order  to  determine  whether  the  nomadic  Mon- 
gols or  the  agricultural  Mongols  could  be  the  most 
readily  reached  by  mission  work,  our  missionary 
took  an  early  opportunity  to  visit  the  Mongol  settle- 
ments northeast  of  Peking. 

The  latter  were  found  in  Chinese  villages,  and  one 
working  among  them  would  have  the  disadvantage 
of  being  obliged  to  put  up  at  Chinese  inns,  and  while 
they  could  visit  you,  you,  on  no  account,  would  be 
allowed  to  visit  them.  The  wandering  tribes  were 
hospitable  and  there  was  freedom  in  gaining  access 
to  them,  and  if  a  missionary  possessed  a  tent  and 
a  camel  he  could  go  where  he  liked.  These  people, 
however,  were  afraid  to  have  foreigners  with  them 
lest  they  should  die  on  their  hands,  and  so  get  them 
into  trouble  with  the  Chinese  Government.  The  ad- 
vantages and  disadvantages  of  work  among  either 
class  were  about  equal.  The  Bible  had  been  trans- 
lated into  the  written  language  of  the  Burists,  and 
this  was  understood  by  the  Mongols  of  the  north, 
some  of  whom  were  able  to  read.  For  the  use  of  the 
southern  Mongols  there  was  a  catechism  fitted  to 
their  needs  and  comprehension. 

During  the  summer  of  1872,  Mr.  Gilmour  spent 
much  time  in  Peking,  still  studying  the  language  of 
Mongolia  and  taking  up  also  medical  study.  Here 
he  found  pleasant  friends  in  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Much,  the 
former  of  whom  he  had  known  at  Cheshunt  College. 
It  was  a  great  pleasure  for  him  to  meet  them  often, 


190  Pioneer  Missionaries 

and  enjoy  their  hospitality.  Here  he  heard  much  of 
a  certain  winsome  young  sister  of  Mrs.  Much,  an 
EngHsh  girl,  and  hearing  her  letters  read  aloud,  and 
seeing  her  photograph,  increased  his  growing  inter- 
est. He  rapidly  came  to  the  conclusion  that  this 
"young  lady  in  London"  was  the  one  who  would  be 
a  most  desirable  and  helpful  companion  in  his  work. 
So  this  quaint  courtship  was  carrried  on  with  all 
speed,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1874  his  English  bride 
sailed  for  China.  Her  future  husband  awaited  her 
arrival  at  Tientsin  with  some  impatience. 

Not  careful  about  his  personal  appearance,  he  had 
arrayed  himself  in  an  old  overcoat  with  a  thick  com- 
forter about  his  neck ;  thus  attired  he  presented  him- 
self to  his  bride.  His  friend,  Mr.  Much,  accom- 
panied him  in  a  lighter  some  way  down  the  river 
to  meet  the  steamer.  But  as  the  latter  was  progress- 
ing toward  the  port  the  captain  could  not  allow  them 
to  board  the  vessel,  so  they  had  to  follow  in  a  miser- 
ble  flat-bottomed  boat. 

The  English  girl's  first  view  of  her  future  husband 
was  probably  not  altogether  prepossessing.  The 
next  day  a  tiresome  journey  of  eighty  miles  was  be- 
gun in  springless  carts  to  Peking,  where  the  couple 
were  to  be  married.  Such  was  the  introduction  of  a 
delicate  young  woman  into  the  new  life  she  was  to 
lead  among  the  isolated  plains  of  Mongolia.  The 
year  following  their  marriage  was  spent  in  Peking, 
there  being  work  there  which  demanded  the  atten- 


James  Gilmour  191 

tion  of  Mr.  Gilmour.  However,  in  1876,  they 
journeyed  into  Mongolia,  Mrs.  Gilmour  for  the  first 
time  accompanying  her  husband.  They  carried  with 
them  two  tents,  one  for  servants,  the  other  for  their 
own  use.  Thus  they  hoped  at  times  to  have  a  little 
freedom  from  interruption,  for  the  Mongols  think  if 
they  cannot  enter  one's  tent  at  all  times  something 
must  be  wrong.  They  cannot  comprehend  the  idea 
of  a  man's  abode  being,  if  only  a  tent,  his  castle. 

Mr.  Gilmour  had  arranged  one  tent  very  com- 
fortably with  fringes  at  its  base  to  keep  out  the 
breezes  and  a  cloth  door,  to  be  buttoned  at  night; 
also  a  double  roof.  He  was  much  distressed  lest  the 
natives  should  think  him  "effeminate"  in  all  this. 
He  says :  "Rather  than  that  one  would  prefer  broil- 
ing in  the  sun  and  shivering  in  the  wind."  The  long 
journeys  across  the  deserts  were  times  of  suffering 
from  more  than  one  cause.  Intolerable  thirst  fre- 
quently made  even  the  "dirty,  delicious  Mongol  tea" 
a  treat.  Sometimes  adventures  of  a  serious  nature 
overtook  them,  as  on  one  occasion,  when  camped  for 
the  night,  a  violent  thunderstorm  burst  in  fury  upon 
them.  On  one  side  of  their  tent  was  a  river,  and  Mr. 
Gilmour  discovered  that  on  their  left  side  also  water 
was  flowing  in  a  steady  stream.  So  surrounded  by 
floods  and  beaten  upon  by  violent  winds  they  waited 
in  anxiety,  expecting  at  every  moment  to  be  swept 
away.  Through  this  peril  they  were  safely  brought. 
Such  experiences  told  on  Mrs.  Gilmour's  health.  Never 


192  Pioneer  Missionaries 

before  had  her  husband  felt  more  keenly  the  need  of 
a  medical  colleague.  He  thought  it  most  important 
that  every  missionary  should  have  some  knowledge 
of  medicine.  One  incident  of  this  medical  work  was 
this.  "A  man  came  for  eye  medicine  for  his  wife. 
The  woman's  eye  was  soon  cured,  and  some  time 
afterward,  the  husband  being  attacked  by  the  same 
malady,  had  some  of  the  medicine  applied.  He 
passed  a  restless  night  with  pain  in  the  eye,  and  in 
getting  up  in  the  morning  asked  his  wife  to  examine 
it  and  see  what  was  the  matter  with  it.  'Cursed!' 
exclaimed  the  wife,  'the  pupil  has  been  destroyed!' 
'Patricide!'  roared  the  husband;  'so  it  has;  I  can't 
see'  (these  two  epithets  were  meant  for  me),  and 
taking  the  little  bottle  containing  the  medicine, 
dashed  it  to  pieces  on  a  stone.  For  some  days  he  was 
in  a  state  of  fever  and  rage,  believing  all  the  stories 
told  of  our  cutting  out  eyes,  etc.,  to  be  true,  till  in  due 
course  the  pupil  again  contracting,  he  saw  as  before, 
and  found  his  eye  cured.  Such  at  least  was  the  story 
current  in  his  neighborhood.  Next  time  I  came 
along,  he  begged  more  medicine,  made  presents  of 
white  food  and  is  now  my  firm  friend." 

In  1877,  Mr.  Gilmour  took  up  work  to  aid  Rev. 
Mr.  Lees  in  Peking,  or  rather  in  the  country  sur- 
rounding that  city.  In  addition  to  his  Mongolian 
tribes  he  found  time  to  visit  the  Tientsin  outstations 
once  or  twice  a  year.  His  fondness  for  argument 
was  very  great,  and  his  usual  ending  to  a  discussion 


James  Gilmour  193 

was,  "Ah,  well,  may  you  be  forgiven.  Nevertheless, 
I  love  you  still." 

As  many  as  fifteen  hundred  Mongols  were  to  be 
found  in  Peking  living  in  what  were  known  as  the 
"outside"  and  "inside"  lodgings.  Mr.  Gilmour  thus 
describes  them:  "If  any  one  wants  to  see  Mongol 
life  without  going  to  Mongolia,  the  Li  Keean  (or  in- 
side lodging)  is  the  place  to  see  it.  In  the  open  space 
that  forms  the  market  are  seldom  wanting  a  few 
tents,  standing  at  the  door  of  which  a  spectator  may 
see  the  inmates  boiling  their  tea,  cooking  their  food, 
washing  their  faces  and  sitting  about,  all  in  true 
Mongol  style.  Round  their  tents  are  placed  creels 
of  frozen  game  and  poultry,  and  outside  these  again 
are  ranged  the  camels,  or  oxen  and  carts,  which 
formed  their  means  of  conveyance." 

Here  Mr.  Gilmour  placed  a  bookstall,  with  a 
Chinaman  in  charge.  He  often  himself  went  out 
with  bags  of  books,  searching  for  the  Mongols  in 
their  trading  places  and  lodgings.  They  usually 
wanted  books  read  to  them  before  buying,  so  in  this 
way  they  heard  many  truths  of  Christianity  from 
Mr.  Gilmour's  lips.  Sometimes  they  gave  him  curi- 
ous things,  such  as  cheese,  butter,  millet-cake  and 
sheep's  fat,  in  exchange  for  books. 

Our  untiring  missionary  found  that  when  the 
dwellers  on  the  plains  clearly  understood  his  object 
in  coming  to  them,  he  was  not  received  so  pleasantly. 
Some  regarded  his  efforts  with  uneasiness,  others 


194  Pioneer  Missionaries 

thought  it  improbable  that  any  Mongol  should  ever 
renounce  Buddhism  for  Christianity. 

In  1882,  Mr.  Gilmour,  wife  and  children  went  to 
England  for  rest.  Mrs.  Gilmour  was  in  very  frail 
health.  Many  became  interested  in  their  work,  and 
a  charming  book  by  Mr.  Gilmour,  entitled  "Among 
the  Mongols,"  attracted  numerous  readers.  On  re- 
turning to  China,  work  was  taken  up  among  the 
Chinese  in  Peking.  Just  before  this,  a  short  visit  on 
foot  was  made  to  Mongolia.  In  genuine  tramp  style, 
Mr.  Gilmour  started  on  this  trip,  with  his  belongings 
slung  across  his  shoulders.  His  feet,  unused  to  long 
travel,  became  blistered.  The  mandarin  of  the  dis- 
trict received  him  heartily,  offering  tea  as  refresh- 
ment. Soon  a  crowd  gathered  to  welcome  him.  At 
this  very  time  his  heart  was  gladdened  by  the  first 
confession  of  belief  in  Christ  by  a  young  Mongol. 
Not  long  after  this  same  young  man  was  baptized  by 
an  American  missionary,  Rev.  W.  P.  Sprague,  be- 
cause Mr.  Gilmour' s  work  in  Peking  prevented 
him  from  visiting  Mongolia.  His  friend,  Mr.  Much, 
being  absent  from  Peking  for  eighteen  months,  he 
carried  on  evangelistic  work  in  that  city.  In  the 
chapels  the  audiences  were  good  and  attentive.  His 
work  was  so  absorbing  that  he  did  not  realize  that 
his  wife  was  slowly  fading  away  from  life.  She 
longed  for  a  tender  nurse  and,  fortunately,  one  was 
procured,  who  cared  for  her  very  lovingly.  Her 
little  ones  learned  to  hear  of  her  going  from  them 


James  Gilmour  195 

as  going  "Home."  Very  sad  and  hard  indeed  was  it 
for  her  brave  husband  to  be  left  alone  with  three 
small  boys,  one  a  baby;  but  harder  still,  when  he 
parted  from  two  of  the  children,  sending  them  away 
to  be  educated.  Then  cheerfully  he  took  up  work 
among  the  agricultural  Mongols  who  lived  east  of 
Jehol.  He  remarked :  "God  having  cut  me  adrift 
from  all  my  fixings,  I  am  ready  to  go  wherever  the 
Lord  leads." 

In  this  new  district  he  chose  three  centers  for 
work,  viz.,  Ch'ao-yang,  Ta'-ssn-kon  and  Ta-chery- 
tzn.  This  was  a  hard  field,  but  his  untiring  devotion 
secured  success.  He  walked  long  distances  to  get  at 
the  people,  and  for  the  very  reason  that  he  traveled 
on  foot  he  was  refused  admittance  to  the  inns,  so 
had  to  find  shelter  at  the  tramps'  tavern.  Very  soon 
he  took  important  medical  work,  in  which  he  became 
deeply  absorbed.  Purchasing  a  small  tent,  and  set- 
ting it  up  on  the  day  of  a  great  fair,  Mr.  Gilmour 
freely  dispensed  his  medicines  to  those  who  applied 
for  help.  During  seven  months  of  1886  he  was  able 
to  relieve  between  five  and  six  thousand  persons. 
His  need  of  a  helper  in  this  particular  work  was  very 
great.  He  says :  "May  he  come.  I  hope  he  can 
pray.    If  so  he  can  commence  work  at  once." 

On  another  occasion  he  wrote  to  a  friend :  "You 
are  in  a  great  fix  about  the  land  question  at  home. 
I  see  it  all  fought  out  under  my  eyes  here.  But  for 
opium,  whiskey  and  tobacco,  the  land  could  carry, 


196  Pioneer  Missionaries 

I  should  guess,  thirty  per  cent,  more  of  population, 
perhaps  even  a  larger  proportion  than  that." 

This  field  was  a  difficult  one,  and  the  cold  and 
hardships  to  be  endured  were  such  that  no  Peking 
Christians  would  accompany  him.  The  latter  part 
of  1887,  M'"-  Gilmour  having  been  absent  eleven 
months  took  a  rest  in  a  visit  to  his  friend,  Dr.  Mac- 
kenzie, of  Tientsin.  The  latter  was  a  warm  admirer 
of  the  earnest  missionary.  Dr.  F.  C.  Roberts,  who 
was  to  be  the  long-desired  colleague  of  Mr.  Gilmour, 
was  also  in  Tientsin,  studying  Chinese.  On  return- 
ing to  Mongolia,  some  matters  pained  the  faithful 
worker,  such  as  the  prospect  of  one  convert  going 
over  to  the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  while  the  consist- 
ent life  of  another  Chinese  convert  cheered  him. 
Some  of  his  flock  were  eager  for  a  chapel,  thinking 
that  would  do  everything  for  them. 

Dr.  Roberts,  on  reaching  the  scene  of  work,  was 
struck  by  the  entire  surrender  of  Mr.  Gilmour' s  heart 
and  soul  to  his  arduous  labor  of  healing  both  bodies 
and  souls  of  men.  He,  in  the  matter  of  food,  de- 
scended to  the  level  of  those  about  him.  Only  a  few 
weeks  did  he  enjoy  his  new  assistant.  Sudden  news 
came  of  the  death  of  Dr.  Mackenzie,  and  of  the  ap- 
pointment of  Dr.  Roberts  as  head  of  the  hospital  at 
Tientsin.  Mr.  Gilmour  writes:  "My  faith  is  not 
going,  but  I  must  confess  that  I  am  walking  in  the 
dark." 

In  summing  up  the  work  of  the  year,  it  was  found 


James  Gilmour  197 

that  only  three  men  had  been  baptized,  but  they  rep- 
resented the  three  centers  of  work.  Finally,  after 
more  lonely  labor,  another  assistant,  a  Dr.  G.  P. 
Smith,  was  appointed  medical  colleague.  Mr.  Gil- 
mour was  cheered  further  by  increase  of  interest 
among  his  people,  sometimes  twenty  to  fifty  gather- 
ing at  the  rooms  for  worship. 

Exposure  in  traveling  across  the  district,  one  hun- 
dred miles  in  width,  and  low  diet  had  told  on  the 
health  of  the  self-sacrificing  teacher  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  his  new  medical  assistant  advised  imme- 
diate rest.  So  he  was  persuaded  to  take  a  trip  to 
England.  On  this  voyage  his  brain  was  full  of  plans 
for  the  Mongol  mission.  He  was  anxious  for  a  band 
of  lay  helpers,  also  very  desirous  that  candidates  for 
church  membership  should  pledge  themselves  to  total 
abstinence  from  alcohol  and  tobacco.  Some  of  his 
fellow-workers  did  not  second  his  views  heartily. 
These  were  not  the  only  matters  that  caused  him 
anxiety.  He  was  a  fond  father,  and  his  visit  with 
his  little  ones  was  full  of  pleasure  to  him.  It  is 
touching  to  record  that  their  boyish  letters  to  him 
were  stitched  together  and  carried  with  him  on  all 
his  long  tramps  in  Mongolia.  His  health  improved 
while  in  England,  but  he  was  restless  to  return  to 
his  adopted  country.  He  did  good  work  while  ab- 
sent in  visiting  many  churches  as  a  deputation  from 
the  London  Missionary  Society.  It  was  thought 
that  he  had  a  leaning  toward  what  is  known  as  the 


198  Pioneer  Missionaries 

"Larger  Hope."  One  or  two  expressions  in  letters 
of  his  show  his  views  on  this  subject.  "Honestly, 
and  to  come  to  the  point  at  once,  I  do  not  see  that 
the  restoration  theory  can  stand  on  the  statements 
of  revelation.  This  doctrine  does  not  seem  to  me  to 
be  revealed.  I  think  as  clearly  that  the  Scriptures 
does  not  necessitate  us  to  believe  the  darker  doctrine 
of  eternal  pain." 

Mr.  Gilmour  gave  liberally  of  his  means,  which 
were  small  and  were  the  result  of  years  of  economy, 
to  the  Society's  funds.  Dr.  Smith,  in  company  with 
a  friend,  visited  the  rooms  Mr.  Gilmour  occupied 
in  Mongolia,  and  they  were  found  to  be  of  the  very 
simplest,  with  most  desolate  surroundings.  Here 
this  great  man  lived  and  worked,  "well  content  to 
live  upon  the  cheapest  rice,  if  God  would  only  give 
him  souls.'' 

When  the  annual  meeting  of  the  London  Mission- 
ary Society  took  place  in  Tientsin  in  1891,  Mr.  Gil- 
mour was  present  as  chairman.  He  was  then  look- 
ing remarkably  well  and  enjoyed  a  number  of  the 
services  held.  Toward  the  close  of  the  meetings 
he  was  taken  ill,  and  what  seemed  to  be  an  ordinary 
fever  developed  into  typhus.  During  the  second 
week  of  his  illness  his  mind  became  clouded,  and  he 
said  to  his  nurse,  "Where  are  we  going?"  She  re- 
plied, "To  heaven,  to  see  the  Lord."  "Oh,  no,"  he 
replied,  "that  is  not  the  right  address."  "Yes,  it  is," 
the  nurse  repeated;  "and  shall  you  not  be  glad  to 


James  Gilmour  199 

go  in  and  see  the  Lord?"  He  comprehended  her 
words,  and  his  eyes  filled  with  tears  and  he  bowed 
his  head  in  assent.  There  was  no  hope  of  recovery, 
and  rapidly  he  sunk  into  a  delirium.  The  grief  of 
his  native  preacher  was  extreme  as  he  stood  by  the 
bed  of  the  dying  missionary  and  piteously  called  his 
name  in  Chinese.  The  funeral  took  place  at  Tient- 
sin, and  at  the  services  the  native  version  of  "In 
the  Christians'  Home  in  Glory"  was  sung  as  Chinese 
boys  threw  flowers  into  the  open  grave. 

Mr.  Gilmour's  chief  characteristics  were  utter  and 
absolute  consecration  of  himself  to  his  work  and  in- 
tense perseverance  and  honesty  of  purpose  in  that 
work.  His  nature  v/as  cheerful  and  fun-loving,  and 
the  discipline  of  life  served  to  broaden  and  deepen 
his  faith,  so  that  at  last  he  stood  as  nearly  a  perfect 
specimen  of  fully  rounded  character  as  could  be  met 
with  in  a  lifetime. 

His  work  in  eastern  agricultural  Mongolia  re- 
sulted in  the  establishment  of  three  churches  in  the 
three  centers  which  have  been  mentioned. 


JOHN  LIVINGSTON  NEVIUS,  D.D. 

Born  March  4,  1829. 
Died  October  19,  1893. 

Previous  to  the  year  1652  Johannes  Nevius  emi- 
grated from  Holland  and  came  to  New  Amsterdarn, 
now  New  York.  Here,  as  custodian  of  the  city 
property  and  its  records,  he  lived  in  the  City  Hall, 
then  on  Wall  Street,  It  is  said  he  received  permis- 
sion to  sow  the  broad  surrounding  fields  with  grain, 
and  the  authorities  allowed  the  good  secretary  to 
pasture  his  cows  on  the  lawn  adjoining  the  State 
House. 

Eight  generations  removed  from  Johannes,  we 
find  the  name  of  John  Livingston  Nevius,  who  was 
born  in  the  little  cottage  farmhouse  in  the  Lake 
country  of  western  New  York  on  March  4,  1829, 
Here  on  the  farm,  midway  between  Ovid  and  Lodi, 
the  bright,  happy  days  of  his  boyhood  were  spent. 
Seneca  Lake,  with  its  ever-changing  and  beautiful 
scenery,  was  only  two  miles  distant,  and  many  an 
adventure,  hunt  and  ramble  were  taken  in  early 
years  and  tenderly  recalled  in  later  life  by  John 
Nevius. 

After  attending  the  academy  at  Ovid,  this  ambi- 
tious boy  of  sixteen  was  prepared  to  enter  Union 


John   Livingston   Nevius  201 

College  as  a  Sophomore.  So,  in  1845,  ^^  made  the 
journey  to  Schenectady  by  canal  boat.  College  life 
and  study  alternated  with  surveying,  teaching  and 
farm  work. 

In  1850  he  began  his  studies  at  Princeton  for  the 
ministry  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  While  at 
Princeton  he  one  day  listened  to  an  address  on  for- 
eign missions  by  Hon.  Walter  Lowrie,  whose  broad 
intelligence  and  interest  in  all  missionary  work  is  j/ 
seldom  surpassed.  The  deep  interest  and  vital  ques- 
tion of  his  own  personal  fitness  and  duty  presented 

itself  so  strongly  to  John  Nevius  that  in  1853  he  de- 

cided  to  go  as  a  missionary.    In  April  of  that  year  \\ 
he  sent  his  application  to  the  Presbyterian  Board// 
of  Foreign  Missions.    His  early  decision  was  never 
regretted.       Devotion     to    duty    was     paramount 
throughout  his  life. 

On  June  15,  1853,  he  was  married  to  Helen  Coan, 
and  three  months  later  they  boarded  the  Bombay 
for  Ningpo,  China.  Heroically  the  young  wife  and 
her  husband  ventured  upon  the  perils  of  that  long, 
stormy  six-months'  ocean  voyage  in  the  old,  unsea- 
worthy  East  Indian  trading  vessel.  Hours  of  read- 
ing and  music  compensated  for  the  hours  of  discom- 
fort and  seasickness;  their  strength  and  courage 
overpowered  the  dangers  and  storms ;  their  love  and 
happiness  conquered  all  misgivings  and  doubts. 
After  many  weeks  they  landed  at  Ningpo,  that  "City 
of  the  Peaceful  Wave."     This  city,  with  its  three 


202  Pioneer  Missionaries 

hundred  thousand  souls,  proved  the  best  of  training 
schools  for  Dr.  Nevius. 

No  time  was  allowed  to  waste.  He  at  once  began 
to  study  the  language — classed  with  those  which  are 
most  difficult  in  the  world — and  at  the  end  of  nine 
months  he  had  acquired  sufficient  proficiencx_to_be 
able  to  engage  in  chapel  work.  Here  at  Ningpo  he, 
mastered  the  Chinese  language  in  its  written  and 
spoken  forms.  In  one  year  he  was  traveling  and 
preaching.  His  marvelous  progress  was  due  to  un- 
remitting labor,  for  he  devoted  himself  so  exclusively 
to  that  one  work  that  it  is  recorded  that  for  ten  years 
he  did  not  read  one  book  written  in  English. 

Preaching  tours  in  the  country  were  frequent. 
Although  five  ports  had  been  opened  to  foreign  resi- 
dents, it  was  many  years  before  they  were  permitted 
to  go  farther  than  thirty  miles  into  the  interior.  Lit- 
tle missionary  work  in  the  country  had  been  done  pre- 
vious to  this  time,  and  Dr.  Nevius  was  rejoiced  when 
he  saw  how  readily  the  people  responded  to  kindness. 
Often  he  would  speak  in  six  or  seven  places  in  one 
day,  and  with  little  indication  of  weariness. 

The  superintendence  of  missionary  work,  the 
many  preaching  services,  the  daily  calls,  the  study, 
several  Bible  classes  and  a  theological  class,  added  to 
his  superintendence  of  a  boys'  boarding  school,  left 
little  time  for  rest  and  pleasure.  In  1857  Dr.  Nevius 
made  an  exhaustive  study  and  wrote  many  valuable 
articles  on  the  religions  and  superstitions  of  China, 


John  Livingston  Nevius  203 

which  several  years  later  became  incorporated  in  his 
book  entitled  "China  and  the  Chinese." 

The  fruits  of  his  work  in  Ningpo  soon  became  ap- 
parent. Several  families  cast  away  their  idols; 
others,  in  the  face  of  the  most  malignant  and  per- 
sistent opposition,  embraced  Christianity.  They 
were  frequently  disinherited,  made  outcasts  and 
abused,  but  they  continued  in  their  unfaltering  faith 
and  courage.  The  San  Poh  station  flourished,  and 
later  there  were  two  or  more  churches.  At  Hang 
Chow,  which  is  to-day  a  mission  center  of  vast  im- 
portance. Dr.  Nevius  would  have  stationed  himself. 
But  political  affairs  in  China  had  reached  a  crisis. 
Rebels  had  entered  the  province  and  all  parts  of  it 
were  in  a  state  of  alarm. 

Dr.  Nevius  and  his  wife  were  but  settled  in  their 
rooms  in  an  old  temple  here,  when  they  began  to 
receive  official  letters  from  the  district  magistrate  to 
return  to  Ningpo.  Untrue  and  most  absurd  stories 
of  the  treatment  of  foreigners  were  circulated.  It 
was  solemnly  reported  that  Dr.  Nevius  had  in  se- 
clusion a  regiment  of  powerful  soldiers,  and  many 
began  to  suspect  the  earnest  missionary  and  his  de- 
voted wife  of  monstrous  crimes.  They  were  hourly 
exposed  to  danger  and  death,  and  it  was  considered 
wisest  to  return  to  Ningpo.  They  were  practically 
driven  away.  Soon  after  their  departure  the  city 
was  captured  amid  scenes  of  great  atrocity  and 
cruelty. 


204  Pioneer  Missionaries 

A  brief  time  was  spent  in  Japan ;  in  Kanagawa  Dr. 
Nevius  commenced  the  study  of  the  Japanese  lan- 
guage. While  here  he  was  studiously  engaged  in  the 
study  of  Chinese  classics  and  in  writing  a  manual 
for  the  native  preachers,  called  "The  Disciples' 
Guide." 

In  May,  1861,  Dr.  Nevius  and  his  wife  started  for 
their  new  home  and  work  in  Shantung.  With  what 
wonder  would  those  brave  earlier  pioneers,  Dr.  Ned- 
hurst  and  Mr.  Stevens,  have  now  looked  upon  Dr. 
Nevius,  who,  with  his  colleagues,  began  establishing 
churches  the  length  and  breadth  of  that  peninsula ! 

Here,  at  Shantung,  was  the  principal  scene  of  the 
life-work  of  Dr.  Nevius,  and  here  his  later  years 
were  spent  among  its  hardy  thirty  million  souls. 

Already  Dr.  Nevius  had  some  knowledge  of  Man- 
darin, the  court  dialect,  which  is  most  widely  spoken 
throughout  the  northern  provinces.  At  once  he  be- 
gan preaching,  teaching  and  winning  the  hearts  of 
the  people  in  this  province,  where,  two  thousand 
years  ago,  the  great  Confucius  was  born  and  died. 

They  were  for  a  time  in  Tung  Chow,  on  the  north- 
ern shore  of  the  Shantung  promontory.  In  1862  the 
cholera  raged  frightfully  among  the  natives  at  Tung 
Chow.  In  the  absence  of  a  physician,  Dr.  Nevius  and 
his  wife  prepared  great  quantities  of  cholera  medi- 
cine and  freely  dispensed  it  to  all  who  would  accept 
it.  Hundreds  of  lives  were  saved  by  these  faithful 
benefactors. 


John  Livingston  Nevius  205 

Mrs.  Nevius  aided  her  husband  by  establishing  a 
boarding  school  for  girls.  In  1863  two  of  Mrs.  Ne- 
vius' boarding-school  pupils,  with  some  others,  were 
received  by  baptism  into  the  church.  The  natives 
were  becoming  startled  to  see  so  many  of  their 
friends  embracing  the  new  religion.  Soon  grave  and 
alarming  reports  were  circulating  throughout  the 
place.  These  reports  declared  that  Dr.  Nevius  and 
his  wife  possessed  some  charm  or  power  over  all  who 
came  within  their  influence.  Some  asserted  it  to  be 
the  "evil  eye" ;  others  pronounced  it  a  sort  of  witch- 
craft ;  while  others  averred  that  a  potion  was  stirred 
into  the  tea  which  Mrs.  Nevius  often  served  to  their 
friends.  A  few  tried  to  convince  others  that  this 
missionary  and  his  wife  poured  a  magic  potion  into 
their  wells  and  mixed  it  into  the  flour  used  by  the 
city  bakers.  Forthwith  several  natives  arose,  offer- 
ing to  clean  out  wells,  and  when  their  work  was  ac- 
complished they  craftily  and  shrewdly  held  up  be- 
fore the  well  owner  a  small  red  bag  containing  pow- 
der. 

Many  of  the  natives  believed  the  object  of  Mrs. 
Nevius'  school  was  to  collect  as  many  girls  as  pos- 
sible, then  send  them  off  in  a  great  steamer  to  a 
foreign  land,  where  their  bodies  would  be  boiled  and 
an  oil  extracted.  And  this  oil  was  used  in  the  prep- 
aration of  the  mysterious  potion  which  Dr.  Nevius 
and  his  wife  were  using!  Excitement  prevailed. 
Doubts  and  suspicions  arose.     Threats  were  even 


2o6  Pioneer  Missionaries 

made.  Under  such  trying  circumstances  as  these 
and  others  of  a  similar  character,  the  missionary's 
diligent,  faithful  work  went  on.  After  a  time  the 
excitement  abated. 

In  1868,  after  a  six  months'  visit  in  England,  Dr. 
Nevius  was  again  in  China  pursuing  his  work  as  be- 
fore, but  with  this  change,  that  many  who  were  his 
old  students  were  now  being  ordained  for  the  work 
of  the  ministry.  Dr.  Nevius  was  greatly  interested 
in  the  progress  of  his  theological  students.  Through- 
out his  work  in  China  one  of  his  great  aims  was_Jo^ 
establish  a  theological  seminary  in  China.  He 
wished  to  train  the  natives  for  the  ministry,  for  he 
knew  such  work  must  eventually  be  performed  by 
them.  He  also  presented  the  advisability  of  the 
establishment  of  a  Synod.  This  he  accomplished, 
and  the  first  Synod  of  China  was  held  at  Shanghai 
in  the  autumn  of  1870. 

In  the  fall  of  1871  Dr.  Nevius  and  his  wife  re- 
moved to  Cheefoo,  and  here  it  was  that  Dr.  Nevius 
built  his  pretty  home,  the  "Nan  Lou,"  superintend- 
ing the  work  to  the  minutest  detail,  and  many  times 
at  this  pretty  residence  were  entertained  acquaint- 
ances from  home,  foreign  guests  and  Chinese  vis- 
itors. Here  there  were  hours  of  music,  singing, 
story-telling,  as  well  as  hours  filled  with  study  and 
discussions  of  vital  questions  pertaining  to  China's 
temporal  and  spiritual  condition.  Everywhere, 
whether  on  the  American  platform  before  hundreds 


John   Livingston  Nevius  207 

of  enthusiastic  listeners  or  in  his  quiet  room  in  China, 
Dr.  Nevius  gave  full  credit  to  the  Chinese  for  their 
good  qualities.  He  accorded  them  the  highest  praise 
when  possible.  He  was  in  full  sympathy  with  them. 
He  loved  them. 

In  the  spring  of  1873  Dr.  Nevius  started  on  a  long 
tour  of  about  six  hundred  miles — a  busy,  weary 
country  tour — yet  the  rough  life  agreed  with  him. 
Many  a  day,  with  his  guide,  he  walked  between 
thirty  and  forty  miles.  Few  men  could  eat  a  coarse 
supper  in  rooms  dense  with  smoke  and  then  sleep 
sweetly  and  soundly  in  shed-like  structures  filled 
with  dust  and  rubbish,  where  men  sat  talking,  laugh- 
ing, brawling,  where  doors  were  slamming,  and 
where,  in  the  yard,  donkeys  were  braying  and  fight- 
ing. Yet  Dr.  Nevius  could  sleep  through  this  and 
pursue  his  journey  next  day  with  renewed  vigor. 

These  long  country  tours  brought  varying  results 
to  the  devoted  worker — results  which  only  a  mis- 
sionary can  understand.  On  one  tour  he  would  be 
rejoiced  to  see  the  churches  growing  and  extending 
their  influence  under  the  care  and  leadership  of  their 
native  pastors.  Again,  on  another  tour  he  would 
constantly  meet  with  disappointment  and  discour- 
agement. As  these  long  tours  extended  over  a  coun- 
try three  hundred  and  thirty  miles  long,  which  num- 
bered a  population  of  five  millions,  it  is  marvelous 
that  Dr.  Nevius  did  not  return  to  his  home  more 
greatly  fatigued,  since  his  field  for  work  was  new 


2o8  Pioneer  Missionaries 

and  little  had  previously  been  done  in  this  part  of 
the  country  selected  by  him. 

Dr.  Nevius  was  each  year  more  and  more  rejoiced 
to  see  the  gradual  but  sure  breaking  down  of  a  long 
established  precedent.  He  earnestly  believed  that 
the  great  empire  of  China  was  destined  to  make 
rapid  strides  and  many  changes,  and  that  she  would 
eventually  follow  Japan  in  adopting  foreign  ideas. 
He  esteemed  it  a  "God-given  opportunity  to  cast  into 
that  huge  lump  of  humanity  the  leaven  of  Christian- 
ity." While  the  harvest  was  small,  while  many  hesi- 
tated on  account  of  opposition  and  banishment,  the 
outlook  was  encouraging. 

In  1877;  came  the  terrible  famine  in  Shantung. 
At  this  time  Dr.  Nevius  assiduously  devoted  his  tinie 
to  saving  lives  and  relieving  the  suffering  ones  in  the 
widespread  famine  district. 

Nearly  half  of  those  people  living  in  the  famine 
district  were  surviving  from  day  to  day  upon  the 
buds  and  roots  of  trees.  Good  land  was  offered  for 
sale  by  the  famishing  population  for  one-half  of  its 
value.  Tottering  skeletons  were  seen  feebly  sweep- 
ing up  the  grass  seed  to  eat  it.  Many  offered  their 
wives  and  children  for  the  price  of  a  few  days'  allow- 
ance of  food.  Little  girls  from  six  to  seven  years  of 
age  were  sold  by  starving  parents  for  a  sum  of 
money  less  than  two  dollars.  Girls  from  ten  to 
twelve  were  offered  for  four  dollars.  Men  sold  their 
clothing,  and  naked  forms  were  seen  carrying  the 


John  Livingston  Nevius  209 

boards  of  their  own  houses  several  miles,  where  they 
would  receive  fifty  cents  for  the  building  material. 
The  inhabitants  were  content  to  live  in  caves.  East 
of  Ching-chow  were  four  underground  pits,  where 
hundreds  of  starving  souls  took  refuge,  breathed  the 
fetid  air,  and  here  scores  were  dying  daily. 

Into  such  a  frightful  famine-swept  district  came 
Dr.  Nevius.  He  took  up  his  quarters  at  Kao-yai, 
and  from  this  point  as  a  distributing  center  his  great 
work  was  done.  Plans  for  a  relief  corps  and  for 
raising  funds  abroad  were  adopted.  He  was  the  one 
man,  fearless  and  faithful,  to  organize  and  to  exe- 
cute. 

The  donations  came  in,  and  through  representa- 
tives the  little  sums  were  distributed  to  the  starving 
people.  Famine  refugees  swarmed  into  Kao-yai  and 
other  towns.  The  awful  distress  on  every  hand  was 
at  length  somewhat  lessened,  but  still  over  the  rough 
mountain  paths  came  the  starving  ones,  hoping  to 
reach  a  place  of  sustenance,  begging  aid  and  dying 
by  the  way.  Many  wandered  as  far  as  Chefoo, 
and  here  Mrs.  Nevius  cooked  corn  cakes  and  dis- 
tributed them  to  the  long  procession  which  came 
day  after  day — one  day  numbering  nine  hundred 
persons. 

Dr.  Nevius  was  at  the  same  time  sending  forth 
help  in  every  possible  way.  Thousands  of  dollars 
were  received  and  justly  distributed  by  him.  He 
aided  over  thirty-two  thousand  people,  and  sent  rep- 


2  I  o  Pioneer  Missionaries 

resentatives  with  help  into  nearly  four  hundred  little 
villages.  At  last  the  wheat  and  silk  crops  gave  par- 
tial relief. 

By  this  one  great  act  of  Dr.  Nevius  many  were 
led  to  believe  in  Christianity  and  investigate  its 
truth.  During  this  trying  period  he  had  been  pre- 
served, almost  miraculously  at  times,  from  violence 
and  danger.  Never  before  had  there  been  such  a 
tax  upon  the  nerve  and  strength  of  this  leader,  whose 
strong  body,  well-trained  intellect,  sound  judgment 
and  firm  will  were  so  needed  at  this  time,  and  were 
again  brought  into  requisition  in  1889,  when  a  sec- 
ond time  he  relieved  the  famine-stricken  people  in  a 
similar  manner. 

Meanwhile  he _was. speaking  in  the  open  courts  or 
streets,  distributing  books,  visiting  native  churcHesr 
examining  applicants,  baptizing  converts  or  listening 
attentively  to  inquirers.  The  doctor  was  usually  oc- 
cupied in  reading,  singing,  reciting  or  study  on  these 
tours. 

Two  good  barrow  men,  with  one  to  help  pull, 
could,  on  a  good  road,  take  the  load  of  four  hundred 
pounds  forty  miles  between  sunrise  and  darkness. 
Wonderful  was  their  muscular  power  and  endur- 
ance, for  they  would  often  travel  five  miles  before 
resting,  and  over  roads  rough  and  hilly  they  would 
travel  faster  than  a  horse  could  walk.  Often  the 
roads  were  almost  impassable,  but  through  rain  and 


John  Livingston  Nevius  211 

mud,  wind,  storm  and  mire,  through  gales  and  sleet 
they  trudged  onward.  Over  hill  and  down  dale,  ford- 
ing swollen  streams  in  the  face  of  biting  winds  and 
blinding  storms,  a  brave  heart  urged  them  forward. 
And  the  brave  heart  of  the  missionary  never  quailed, 
even  though  the  shelter  offered  was  but  a  mud  house, 
with  earth  for  the  floor  and  the  cracks  and  holes  in 
the  wall  admitted  the  night  storms.  Thousands  of 
miles  like  this  Dr.  Nevius  traveled.  Well  might  his 
heart  keep  brave  when  he  learned  that  fifty  souls 
were  waiting  for  baptism,  when  he  was  informed  of 
how  the  good  work  was  spreading,  how  God  was  set- 
ting his  seal  of  approval  by  bringing  these  precious 
souls  to  light. 

In  i882^etwegn  two  and  three  hundred  were  bap- 
tized in  the  country  stations.  The  work,  while  en- 
couraging and  wonderfully  progressing,  brought  its 
arduous  tasks.  Cases  of  discipline  awaited  him; 
many  professed  Christians  had  to  be  suspended  from 
the  communion  of  the  Church ;  religious  persecutions 
and  lawsuits  demanded  attention,  as  well  as  the  regu- 
lar work  in  training  classes,  theological  classes  and 
lectures. 

In  1887  Dr.  Nevius  gave  up  his  work  in  the  coun- 
try stations  to  competent  co-laborers.  During  his 
work  in  China  he  enjoyed  several  trips,  including 
several  months  spent  in  the  Holy  Land,  Japan, 
Europe,  and  many  visits  to  his  loved  home  scenes  in 


212  Pioneer  Missionaries 

America,  and  everywhere  he  spoke  with  fervency 
and  earnestness  of  the  work  in  China,  in  which  his 
heart  was  engaged. 

In   1893,  when  planning  for  work  one  October 

morning,   he  was  quietly   and   suddenly   called   to 

higher  labors  in  his  eternal  home.    In  a  quiet  Chinese 

chapel  his  burial  service  was  conducted,  and  a  simple 

1  monument  in  the  cemetery  at  Chefoo  marks  the  rest- 

/  ing  place  of  this  ''faithful,  loving,  devoted  mission- 

(   ary,"  who  for  forty  years  was  a  missionary  to  the 

Chinese. 


^Br 

s 

L 

•  '"mi-         ''■■tfll^^^^^^ll 

JOHN    EXERKIT    CI.Ol'I'.H 


JOHN    EVERETT    CLOUGH,  D.D. 

BORN  JULY  l6,   1836. 

In  1836  the  first  missionary  of  the  American  Bap- 
tist Missionary  Union  was  sent  to  Telugu  Mission, 
and  in  the  same  year,  July  16,  a  boy  was  born  near 
Frewsburg,  in  Chautauqua  County,  New  York,  who 
went  out  twenty-eight  years  later  to  give  his  life  to 
the  work  of  that  mission.  John  Everett  Clough  was 
to  render  special  service,  and  God  prepared  him  for 
it.  At  the  very  outset  he  was  given  by  inheritance 
the  instincts  of  the  pioneer.  To  settle  in  a  new  coun- 
try and  to  go  forward  in  the  face  of  obstacles  came 
to  him  naturally.  One  grandfather  served  seven 
years  under  Washington;  the  other  grandfather, 
about  the  year  1790,  cut  his  way  four  miles  through 
the  forests  of  Pennsylvania  and  bought  the  site  of 
what  is  now  the  village  of  Fairview.  Of  Welsh- 
Puritan  descent  on  his  father's  side,  of  Scotch-Eng- 
lish descent  on  his  mother's  side,  a  typical  Yankee, 
he  inherited  the  practical  ability  of  his  race,  mingled 
with  Puritan  faith  and  Scotch  piety — a.  goodly  her- 
itage. 

His  father  was  a  wealthy  man  when  he  was  born, 
but  by  a  deed  of  friendship  he  lost  his  property  at  a 
stroke,  and  the  son  grew  up  in  the  hard,  but  clean. 


2  14  Pioneer  Missionaries 

poverty  of  a  rudimentary  civilization  in  the  new 
States  of  Illinois  and  Iowa.  Thrift  ultimately  pre- 
vailed, and  in  1853  the  family,  consisting  of  five  sons 
and  two  daughters,  owned  a  farm  at  Strawberry 
Point,  Iowa,  comprising  sixteen  hundred  acres.  But 
meantime  the  future  missionary  had  learned  in  the 
school  of  poverty,  and  many  a  time  he  has  said  to  the 
destitute  Pariah  in  India :  "You  can't  tell  me  any- 
thing about  poverty!"  It  made  a  strong  bond  of 
sympathy. 

When  he  was  seventeen  years  old,  young  Clough 
was  invited  by  a  party  of  United  States  surveyors  to 
go  with  them  as  chain  and  hatchet  carrier  into  south- 
ern Minnesota.  He  went,  and  with  his  quick  percep- 
tion of  what  was  wanted,  he  used  the  following  win- 
ter vacation  for  the  study  of  surveying,  algebra  and 
trigonometry.  When  spring  came  and  the  survey- 
ing party  again  started  out,  the  compass  was  put  into 
his  hands.  The  third  and  fourth  years  he  was  sworn 
in  as  United  States  deputy  surveyor,  and  was  sent 
by  his  chief  with  a  party  of  fifteen  men  under  him 
to  complete  a  contract  for  the  government.  Not  yet 
twenty  years  old,  he  went  with  his  men  over  the  wild 
prairies  of  Minnesota  in  the  days  when  Minneapolis 
was  a  mere  village.  Courage  and  self-reliance  grew 
apace  up  there  in  God's  broad  country,  for  God 
wanted  a  man  for  his  work  in  India  whose  methods 
would  have  the  element  of  fearlessness  in  them,  lest 
he  be  afraid  of  a  mass  movement  toward  Christian- 


John   Everett  Clough  215 

ity.  And  the  certificate  as  United  States  Deputy 
Surveyor  was  respected  by  the  Indian  Government 
vv^hen  he  appHed  for  engineering  contracts  in  behalf 
of  thousands  in  the  days  of  famine. 

With  money  enough  invested  for  a  five  years' 
course  of  study,  he  asked  his  surveying  chief,  in  the 
fall  of  1857,  for  the  best  school  in  Iowa,  for  he 
wanted  to  be  one  of  the  wealthiest  lawyers  in  the 
State  by  the  time  he  was  forty.  He  was  directed  to 
Burlington  College,  and  here  he  became  poor  in 
spirit,  and  the  crisis  of  1858  made  him  poor  in 
pocket.  His  ambitious  plans  were  forgotten,  and  as 
a  humble  follower  of  Jesus  he  went  out,  a  Baptist 
missionary,  to  that  forlorn  hope — the  Telugu  Mis- 
sion. 

Until  he  went  to  Burlington,  religious  influences 
had  been  strangely  lacking  in  his  life.  There  was  no 
family  altar  in  his  home,  no  Sunday-school  for  him 
out  on  the  prairies  of  Illinois  and  Iowa,  no  church  in 
the  wilds  of  Minnesota.  But  at  Burlington  he  found 
professors  and  students  who  were  earnest  Chris- 
tians. His  room-mate,  A.  D.  McMichael,  announced 
at  the  outset  his  intention  of  reading  the  Bible  and 
praying  before  retiring  at  night.  Clough  said,  "I 
guess  I  can  stand  it,  if  you  can."  At  first  he  con- 
tinued his  studies  while  McMichael  prayed;  then  he 
closed  his  books  and  listened,  for  his  room-mate  was 
praying  for  him.  When  finally  he  too  knelt,  Mc- 
Michael went  to  Pastor  G.  J.  Johnson:     "I  think 


2i6  Pioneer  Missionaries 

Clough  is  not  far  from  the  kingdom ;  he  kneels  with 
me  in  prayer."  Half  an  hour  later  his  pastor  knocked 
at  his  door  and  found  him  over  his  Bible,  anxious 
to  know  the  way.  With  the  prompt  decision  which 
has  been  one  of  his  marked  characteristics  all 
through  life,  he  took  for  himself  the  salvation  that  is 
in  Christ  Jesus,  and  was  baptized  February  il, 
1858. 

During  the  same  year  Dr.  S.  M.  Osgood,  returned 
missionary  from  Burmah,  came  to  Burlington,  and 
after  a  public  appeal  for  workers,  visited  Mr.  Clough 
in  his  room.  He  kept  it  to  himself,  but  in  mind  he 
thenceforth  felt  committed  to  become  a  missionary. 
On  account  of  the  Civil  War,  Burlington  College  was 
practically  closed  for  a  time.  Mr.  Clough  therefore 
graduated  at  the  Upper  Iowa  University.  In  1862  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Harriet  Sunderland.  For  a 
year  they  together  taught  the  graded  public  school 
at  Colesburg,  Iowa.  But  his  heart  was  set  on  other 
work.  He  became  colporter  in  eastern  Iowa,  under 
the  American  Baptist  Publication  Society,  and  for  a 
year  he  was  zealous  in  the  house-to-house  visiting, 
which  proved  to  be  excellent  training  for  later  village 
itineracy  in  India.  Then  came  the  call  to  go  with 
Rev.  L.  Jewett  to  work  among  the  seventeen  mil- 
lions of  Telugus  in  Southern  India.  With  his  wife 
and  a  son  one  and  a  half  years  old,  he  sailed  in  1864, 
going  around  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

The  mission  to  which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clough  were 


John   Everett  Clough  217 

appointed  was  known  as  the  "Lone  Star  Mission," 
because,  with  its  one  station  at  Nellore,  it  was  a 
"Lone  Star"  in  the  firmament  of  missions.  There 
had  been  thirty  years  of  almost  fruitless  toil. 
Twice  the  Board  in  Boston  talked  of  giving  up  this 
barren  field.  But  the  pioneers  of  the  mission,  Day 
and  Jewett  and  their  wives,  held  on.  They  labored 
and  they  prayed.  They  prophesied  that  "God  has 
a  great  people  among  the  Telugus."  While  the  mis- 
sionary for  Ongole  was  yet  a  surveyor  on  the  prai- 
ries of  Minnesota,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Jewett  and  three 
of  their  native  helpers  knelt  one  morning  at  sunrise 
on  a  hill  overlooking  Ongole  and  prayed  for  a  man 
to  bring  the  Gospel  to  this  dark  place,  where  few  as 
yet  had  ever  heard  the  name  of  Christ.  Twelve 
years  later  the  man  for  Ongole  began  his  work,  and 
in  the  sight  of  "Prayer  Meeting  Hill"  thousands 
were  baptized  in  the  years  that  followed. 

It  was  not  a  matter  of  mere  chance  that  the  On- 
gole mission  became  a  Pariah  mission.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Clough  passed  a  crucial  test  at  the  very  outset, 
and  probably  that  whole  mass  movement  lay  in  the 
balance.  They  had  friends  among  the  Brahmans, 
whom  they  hoped  to  win  for  Christ.  But  when,  one 
day,  a  company  of  Madigas  came  and  asked  for  Bap- 
tism, the  Brahmans  intimated  that  if  these  were  re- 
ceived they  must  withdraw. 

In  their  perplexity  the  missionaries  opened  their 
Bibles  at  random,  and  their  eyes  fell  on  the  verse: 


21 8  Pioneer  Missionaries 

"For  ye  see  your  calling,  brethren,  how  that  not 
many  wise  men  after  the  flesh,  not  many  mighty,  not 
many  are  called  noble ;  but  God  has  chosen  the  fool- 
ish things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  wise" 
( I  Cor.  I  :  26-27).  Those  words  seemed  to  settle  the 
problem  before  them.  They  feared  to  turn  away 
those  Madigas.  lest  they  turn  away  the  Christ.  The 
Pariahs  were  baptized  and  the  Brahmans  withdrew. 
The  die  was  cast.  Henceforth  it  was  true  of  the  On- 
gole  mission:  "To  the  poor  the  Gospel  is  preached." 
The  first  ten  years  at  Ongole,  a  town  of  about 
ten  thousand  inhabitants,  one  hundred  and  eighty 
miles  north  of  Madras,  were  years  of  blessed  seed- 
sowing.  The  work  was  almost  wholly  among  the 
Madigas,  one  of  the  aboriginal  tribes  of  Southern 
India.  Leather-workers  by  trade,  their  very  occu- 
pation is  abhorrent  to  the  caste  people,  who  would 
never  kill  a  living  thing.  Poor,  despised,  ignorant, 
they  were  coming  in  increasing  numbers.  Mrs. 
Clough  gathered  children  into  her  school  at  head- 
quarters, but  also  the  men  and  women  of  zeal,  who 
must  learn  to  read  their  Bibles  before  they  could  go 
out  to  teach  or  preach.  There  was  steady  growth. 
In  1876  the  converts  numbered  three  thousand  two 
hundred  and  sixty-nine,  and  this  increase  would 
have  continued  at  a  rate  sufficiently  rapid  for  the  re- 
sources of  the  mission.  But  the  famine  of  1876-78 
came  and  wrought  a  crisis.  It  ushered  in  as  a  catas- 
trophe what  would  otherwise  have  been  the  result 


John  Everett  Clough  219 

of  normal  growth — ten  thousand  were  baptized  in 
one  year,  and  an  overwhehiiing  responsibiHty  was 
laid  upon  the  mission. 

Seldom  in  modern  times  has  there  been  a  famine 
in  India  with  so  much  loss  of  life.  It  lasted  nearly 
three  years.  In  order  to  provide  food  for  the  starv- 
ing of  his  district,  Mr.  Clough  took  a  contract  from 
the  Indian  Government  for  digging  three  miles  of 
the  Buckingham  Canal,  undertaken  between  Madras 
and  Bezwada,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  as 
Famine  Relief  Work.  He  had  a  village  of  palm-leaf 
huts  built  and  wells  dug,  and  to  this  camp  at  Razu- 
pallem  he  invited  all  who  could  come  and  work. 
There  were  three  thousand  there  all  the  time,  many 
coming  and  going.  The  sick  were  brought  on  lit- 
ters ;  many  who  walked  from  villages  afar  off  grew 
exhausted  and  lay  down  on  the  road  to  die.  His 
staff  of  preachers,  thirty  in  number,  were  his  over- 
seers. Each  was  responsible  for  a  company  of  one 
hundred  diggers,  and  soon  became  acquainted  with 
them.  If  any  sat  down  for  a  short  rest,  the  preacher 
joined  them  and  heard  of  the  scattered  families  and 
those  who  had  died.  The  fear  of  starvation  and 
cholera  was  in  the  hearts  of  all.  Never  were  those 
words,  "Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are 
heavy  laden,"  and  others  like  them,  more  in  place. 
They  sank  into  the  minds  of  the  listeners  not  only 
as  balm,  but  as  seed  for  future  harvest. 

While   the    famine   lasted    none   were   baptized. 


220  Pioneer  Missionaries 

Hundreds  came,  but  were  told  to  wait.  The  preach- 
ers, going  about  on  their  fields,  saw  that  whole  vil- 
lages were  ready.  They  were  a  remarkable  group 
of  men,  though  of  very  meager  education.  Some 
had  the  gift  of  the  evangelist,  others  were  pastors, 
some  developed  ability  under  stress  of  circumstances, 
but  a  spirit  of  service  for  Christ  was  abroad  among 
them  and  carried  them  forward.  In  June,  1878,  Mr. 
Clough  wrote  to  them  to  come  to  Vellumpilly,  ten 
miles  north  of  Ongole,  that  they  might  reorganize 
for  work,  but  to  leave  the  converts  behind.  When 
he  arrived  there,  however,  he  found  a  multitude 
waiting  for  him.  He  mounted  a  wall  to  look  into 
their  faces,  and  told  them  he  had  no  more  money  to 
give  them,  and  asked  them  to  go  home.  They  cried : 
"We  do  not  want  help.  By  the  blisters  on  our  hands 
we  can  prove  to  you  that  we  have  worked  and  will 
continue  to  work.  If  the  next  crop  fail,  we  shall  die. 
We  want  to  die  as  Christians.  Baptize  us,  there- 
fore!" He  dared  not  refuse  longer  to  receive  them 
into  the  Church  of  Christ. 

Inquiry  meetings  on  a  large  scale  were  now  held 
in  a  tamarind  grove  near  by.  Each  preacher  gath- 
ered the  converts  from  his  special  field  together,  and 
with  the  heads  of  households  to  assist  hmi,  he  con- 
ducted his  examination.  Searching  questions  were 
asked,  and  many  were  sent  away.  On  the  first  day, 
July  2,  1878,  a  beginning  was  made — 614  were  bap- 
tized ;  on  the  next  day  2,222  followed ;  on  the  third 


John   Everett   Clough  221 

day  there  were  700  more — making  3,536  in  three 
days.  The  multitude  gathered  on  the  bank  of 
the  Gundlacumma  River,  where  the  water  at  this 
season  of  the  year  is  fairly  deep.  The  six  ordained 
preachers  took  turns,  two  officiating  at  a  time.  The 
names  of  the  candidates  were  read.  Without  delay 
and  without  confusion  one  followed  the  other.  As 
one  preacher  pronounced  the  formula :  "I  baptize 
thee  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,"  the  other  preacher  had  a  candidate  before 
him,  ready  again  to  speak  those  words  and  to  bap- 
tize him  likewise.  And  thus  it  was  not  difficult  to 
immerse  2,222  in  one  day.  Mr.  Clough  did  not  bap- 
tize any  during  those  days.  He  stood  on  the  bank, 
overlooking  the  scene,  helping  and  directing.  Be- 
fore the  year  was  over  9,606  members  had  been 
added  to  the  Church  at  Ongole,  making  a  total  mem- 
bership of  13,000. 

And  this  ingathering  continued.  The  Madiga 
community  was  shaken  to  the  foundations;  the  old 
gods  were  forsaken  and  evil  customs  put  aside.  In 
every  case  the  individual  had  to  give  an  account  of 
his  faith  in  Christ,  but  after  that  the  gregarious  char- 
acter of  a  tribal  movement  had  its  effect.  Fam- 
ilies came;  villages  came.  The  movement  extended 
over  seven  thousand  square  miles,  and  the  country 
became  dotted  with  hundreds  of  Madiga  Christian 
hamlets.  In  1883  Dr.  Clough  had  a  membership  of 
twenty-one  thousand  in  his  mission,  and  the  nominal 


222  Pioneer  Missionaries 

adherents  counted  from  four  to  five  times  that  num- 
ber.   The  burdens  and  responsibilities  of  those  years 
were  exceedingly  heavy,  but  his  physical  endurance 
kept  pace,  and  he  had  reason  to  be  thankful  that  he 
was  of  a  hardy  race  of  American  pioneers,  reared 
to  manhood  in  the  pure  air  of  God's  unsettled  coun- 
try.   He  might  have  continued  at  the  head,  keeping 
his    great    flock    together,    with    Ongole    as    head- 
quarters and  men  working  under  his  direction.     But 
this  method  did  not  insure  the  stability  of  the  work. 
Moreover,  an  organization  of  this  kind  would  have 
been    un-Baptistic,    resembling    a    bishopric.      Dr. 
Clough  loved  his  people  when  he  gathered  them  in 
by  the  thousand,  but  perhaps  he  never  loved  them 
better  than  when  he  set  off  portion  after  portion  of 
his  great  field.      In   1883  the  four  Taluks — small 
countries — lying  farthest  from  Ongole  were  made 
separate  mission  fields,  under  new  missionaries.     In 
1893  the  proportions  had  again  become  unwieldy, 
and  again  four  Taluks  were  cut  off.     This  time  Dr. 
Clough  kept  only  about  one  Taluk  besides  the  one  in 
which  Ongole  is  situated.     When  he  passed  his  be- 
loved Kanigivi  Taluk,  with   four  thousand  Chris- 
tians and  a  staff  of  preachers  who  were  his  choice 
fellow-workers,  over  to  a  younger  man,  he  said  to 
him  before  a  great  congregation :     "I  give  you  the 
apple  of  my  eye.    Take  care  of  that  field."    Thus  the 
territory  once  occupied  by  one  missionary  is  now 
superintended  from  nine  mission   stations,   with  a 


John   Everett  Clough  223 

membership  of  fifty  thoi^and,  and  many  more  if  the 
adherents  were  counted. 

Dr.  Clough  visited  America  three  times.  The  first 
time,  in  1873,  he  collected  an  endowment  of  $50,000 
for  a  theological  seminary  among  the  Telugus, 
which  has  done  excellent  work.  The  second  time, 
in  1883,  he  secured  $10,000  to  erect  an  adequate 
building  for  the  high  school  in  Ongole,  and  $15,000 
for  mission  houses  in  Madras  and  Ongole.  The 
third  time,  in  1890,  he  called  for  twenty-five  men  for 
the  Telugus  and  collected  $50,000  to  send  them  out, 
build  houses  for  them  and  establish  new  mission  sta- 
tions. He  claimed  that  the  time  had  come  when  the 
high  school  at  Ongole  should  be  raised  to  the  grade 
of  a  college,  and  collected  $50,000  for  an  endow- 
ment, thus  bringing  a  college  education  within  reach 
of  Telugu  lads.  In  1893  his  wife  died,  greatly  be- 
loved among  the  Telugus,  having  two  sons  and  three 
daughters.  Two  of  her  daughters  married  mission- 
aries, and  are  at  work  in  Ongole  and  Madras.  Dr. 
Clough  married  again,  in  1894,  Miss  Emma  Raus- 
chenbusch,  who  had  previously  been  a  worker  in  the 
mission.  Famines  have  of  late  visited  India,  and 
twice  he  took  contracts,  under  government,  to  furnish 
relief  for  the  thousands  of  the  starving.  Nor  have 
the  ingatherings  ceased.  In  January,  1901,  he  bap- 
tized more  than  fifteen  hundred  men  and  women, 
and  many  more,  he  knew,  were  waiting  for  the  ordi- 
nance out  in  the  villages. 


224  Pioneer  Missionaries 

While  in  the  midst  of  this  ingathering  in  camp, 
twenty  miles  from  home,  he  fell  and  broke  his  thigh. 
For  weeks  he  lay  at  death's  door,  and  when  finally 
he  was  compelled  to  start  on  his  journey  to  America 
on  a  stretcher,  the  native  Christians  began  to  come 
to  Ongole  in  order  to  see  him  once  more.  Word  was 
sent  out  not  to  come;  if  they  loved  him  to  stay  away. 
About  two  thousand  came,  nevertheless.  It  took 
three  missionaries  to  manage  the  crowd.  They 
promised  to  be  silent  if  he  could  be  brought  on  the 
veranda  to  say  salaam  to  them.  They  kept  their 
promise,  and  when  later  he  was  carried  to  the  rail- 
way station  on  his  cot,  they  took  off  their  sandals 
and  followed  silently  through  the  still,  starlit  night. 
They  and  he  are  waiting  and  praying  for  the  day 
when  he  will  have  recovered  and  he  can  return  to 
them. 


REV.   JAMES   HUDSON   TAYLOR 

BORN   MAY  21,   1832. 

Few  records  of  consecration  to  the  evangelization 
of  the  world  have  shown  such  phenomenal  results  as 
those  of  the  China  Inland  Mission.  Its  origin,  for- 
mation, extension  and  success  are  to  be  largely  at- 
tributed to  the  constant  and  devoted  life  service  of 
James  Hudson  Taylor. 

Throughout  his  boyhood  he  was  surrounded  by 
the  most  helpful  and  inspiring  of  precepts  and  ex- 
amples. To  the  tactful  and  prayerful  guidance  of 
a  Christian  mother  the  achievements  of  his  life  are 
largely  due.  Her  love,  sympathy  and  prayer  was  his 
guiding  star. 

His  firm  and  unchangeable  faith  in  prayer  is  dated 
from  the  time  of  his  remarkable  conversion.  One 
day  his  mother,  while  eighty  miles  distant  from  him, 
experienced  an  intense  longing  for  the  conversion  of 
her  son.  She  sought  the  solitude  of  her  room  and 
prayed  earnestly  for  this  one  object.  Her  son,  at 
that  very  hour,  was  impelled  to  read  a  Gospel  tract 
that  presented  the  truth  in  so  simple  and  convincing 
a  manner  that  at  that  time  he  decided  to  become  a 
Christian.    Two  weeks  later,  when  he  learned  from 


226  Pioneer  Missionaries 

his  mother  of  the  strange  coincidence,  the  boy  felt 
the  force  and  power  of  prayer,  and  throughout  his 
Hfe  has  been  a  firm  behever  in  its  unfaiHng  efificacy. 

After  deciding  to  devote  his  Hfe  to  the  upHfting 
of  humanity,  he  became  convinced  that  the  needs  of 
Christless  China  were  at  that  time  most  urgent.  He 
decided  that  his  work  should  be  in  that  land,  even  if 
it  cost  him  his  life,  for  at  that  time  China  was  prac- 
tically closed  to  foreigners. 

His  attention  was  directed  to  the  inestimable  value 
of  medical  and  surgical  study  as  a  wise  preparation 
in  connection  with  his  work  of  preaching  the  Gospel. 
He  accordingly  studied  medicine  at  Hull,  and  later 
at  the  London  Hospital.  Every  opportunity  for 
thoroughly  fitting  himself  for  future  work  was  em- 
braced. He  learned  of  and  alleviated  poor  families 
in  distress  and  suffering  ones  among  the  lowest 
classes.  He,  in  anticipation  of  possible  famine  in 
China,  decided  to  live  with  the  greatest  economy ;  so 
we  see  the  young  man  daily  walking  eight  and  nine 
miles  to  the  hospital  after  his  usual  frugal  breakfast 
of  brown  bread  and  water ;  a  lunch  of  two  or  three 
apples  and  a  supper  composed  of  the  remainder  of 
his  two-penny  loaf  of  brown  bread  with  water  com- 
pleted his  daily  bill  of  fare.  '  - 

In  1853  he  was  sent  to  China  by  the  Chinese  Evan- 
gelization Society.  He  knew,  on  that  September 
morning,  that  he  was  sailing  for  a  land  far  from 
human  aid,  and  he  fully  realized  that  he  would  be 


James  Hudson  Taylor  227 

compelled  to  place  entire  dependence  upon  God  for 
daily  protection,  daily  guidance,  and  even  daily 
bread. 

Weeks  followed,  bringing  equinoctial  gales,  tem- 
pests, calms,  perils  and  imminent  danger.  At  one  time 
it  seemed  miraculous  that  their  ship  was  not  wrecked 
upon  the  coast  of  New  Guinea.  Had  this  occurred, 
they  would  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  cannibals, 
who  were  distinctly  seen  running  up  and  down  on 
the  sands  of  the  coast,  eagerly  lighting  fires,  pre- 
paratory to  seizing  their  prey,  who  were  helplessly 
becalmed  and  drifting  surely  toward  the  reefs  close 
by.  Again  an  answer  came  to  Mr.  Taylor's  earnest 
prayers,  and  brought  safety ;  for  a  breeze — most  un- 
usual at  that  hour  of  the  day — arose  and  bore  them 
speedily  away  from  the  dangerous  reefs  which  were 
in  such  close  and  threatening  proximity. 

At  last,  after  a  six  months'  voyage,  Mr.  Taylor 
reached  Shanghai,  and  here,  in  1854,  he  began  study- 
ing the  language  and  daily  ministering  to  the  people. 
A  band  of  rebels  in  the  city  and  the  Imperial  army 
of  fifty  thousand  were  a  constant  source  of  danger  to 
Mr.  Taylor.  He  was  informed  it  would  be  certain 
death  to  pursue  any  journeys  inland,  as  he  had 
planned. 

Narrow  and  almost  miraculous  were  his  escapes. 
Coolies  with  whom  he  was  one  day  talking  were 
shot,  but  Mr.  Taylor  was  unhurt;  again,  when  en- 
gaged in  conversation  with  a  friend,  a  ball  passed 


228  Pioneer  Missionaries 

between  them,  leaving  them  uninjured.  Skirmishes, 
horrors  and  atrocities  were  continually  perpetrated, 
and  many  days  brought  misery,  hunger,  isolation 
and  discouragement. 

After  a  little  time  he  adopted  the  native  costume 
and  attempted  short  journeys  inland.  Often  the  of- 
ficials threatened  the  lives  of  Mr.  Taylor  and  his 
companions.  Disorderly  crowds  and  riotous  mobs 
about  them  were  no  unusual  occurrence,  and  once 
when  Mr.  Taylor  and  the  Rev.  J.  S.  Burdon  at- 
tempted to  enter  T'ung-chau,  against  persuasions 
and  warnings,  they  were  brutally  seized  by  the  na- 
tive soldiers,  who  pitilessly  hurried  them  through 
street  after  street,  dragging,  driving  them  on,  and  at 
times  knocking  them  about  in  a  most  inhuman  man- 
ner, until  they  nearly  fell  from  exhaustion  and  faint- 
ness.  They  were  taken  before  the  chief  magistrate, 
who,  fortunately,  treated  them  with  courtesy,  lis- 
tened to  their  story,  received  their  New  Testaments 
and  tracts,  and  ordered  that  they  should  be  unmo- 
lested while  distributing  their  literature  in  the  city 
and  that  they  should  depart  in  peace.  This  deliver- 
ance was  a  supreme  joy  and  encouragement  to  the 
faithful  laborers  and  a  direct  answer  to  Mr.  Taylor's 
prayer,  that  such  a  work  as  they  were  thus  enabled 
to  do  in  the  city  should  result. 

Later,  with  Rev.  William  Burns,  of  the  English 
Presbyterian  Mission,  he  journeyed,  evangelizing 
cities  and  towns.     Living  in  their  boats,  they  fol- 


James  Hudson  Taylor  229 

lowed  the  course  of  the  streams,  preaching  and  dis- 
tributing their  books  at  the  many  settlements.  Be- 
fore they  left  some  towns  many  of  the  inhabitants 
expressed  a  desire  to  embrace  the  Christian  religion, 
and  these  expressions,  coming  from  a  people  who 
lived  in  wild,  lawless  sections,  were  most  encourag- 
ing. 

In  March,  1856,  Mr.  Taylor  began  his  work  in 
Swatow,  a  busy  and  populous  city  on  the  coast. 
Visits  to  the  perishing  humanity  in  the  adjacent  dis- 
tricts were  commenced,  but  the  constant  intrigues, 
barbarous  seizures  and  the  universal  contempt  appar- 
ent rendered  his  labors  here  almost  as  impossible  as 
they  were  imprudent.  Only  God's  special  protection 
saved  his  earnest-hearted  laborers. 

While  at  Swatow  the  local  mandarin  was  danger- 
ously ill.  Native  physicians  were  not  able  to  relieve 
his  sufferings;  and  as  he  had  heard  of  Mr.  Taylor's 
wonderful  benefits  to  the  sick,  he  was  summoned. 
The  medicines  administered  proved  efficacious.  The 
patient  recovered,  and  his  gratitude  led  him  to  secure 
buildings  for  a  hospital  and  dispensary.  When  Mr. 
Taylor  returned  to  Shanghai  for  his  medicines  and 
surgical  instruments,  he  found  that  they  had  all  been 
burned. 

Greatly  disappointed  in  this  severe  loss,  he  packed 
his  possessions  and,  with  his  servants  and  coolies,  he 
started  for  Ningpo,  trusting  he  could  there  obtain  a 
supply  of  medicines  and  apparatus  of  a  missionary 


230 


Pioneer  Missionaries 


friend.  Slowly  he  traveled  through  the  densely  pop- 
ulated districts,  addressing  the  people  and  distribut- 
ing religious  literature.  On  this  journey  he  was 
robbed  of  his  goods  and  of  everything  which  he  pos- 
sessed but  a  little  money.  Weary  and  footsore,  hun- 
gry and  faint,  he  searched  for  his  missing  servant 
and  coolies,  now  sleeping  at  a  temple  entrance  with 
a  stone  projection  for  a  pillow ;  again  dispirited  and 
exhausted,  he  spent  the  night  in  an  old  boat.  At  last 
he  was  given  passage  on  a  boat  and  returned  to 
Shanghai. 

In  1856  hostilities  increased.  China's  struggle 
with  foreign  nations  greatly  retarded  all  missionary 
work,  but  again  this  earnest  worker  started  for 
Ningpo,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  influential  cities 
on  the  Chinese  coast.  Again  he  spoke  to  the  multi- 
tudes from  the  thronged  river  banks;  and  soon 
among  Ningpo's  four  hundred  thousand  souls  Mr. 
Taylor  settled.  Daily  he  ministered  unto  the  needs 
of  the  suffering  and  starving  ones  about  him.  Here 
he  established  a  church,  and  one  good  object  after  an- 
other received  his  prayerful  and  diligent  attention. 

The  bombardment  of  Canton  by  the  British,  in 
1857,  was  a  time  of  anxiety  and  horror.  The  teach- 
ers and  the  missionaries  in  Ningpo  were  in  especial 
danger,  and  their  preservation  seemed  effected  by 
the  direct  agency  of  a  divine  power  and  almighty 
protector.  Plots  were  formed  to  murder  the  mis- 
sionaries, but  a  timely  warning  being  given  them  of 


James  Hudson   Taylor  231 

the  conspiracy,  they  gathered  in  a  band  for  prayer. 
At  that  very  hour  a  mandarin  called  upon  the  chief 
magistrate,  entreating  him  to  withdraw  his  permis- 
sion for  the  massacre  of  the  missionaries,  and  the 
attack  was  prohibited. 

Joyful  was  the  day  when  Mr.  Taylor  was  privi- 
leged to  listen  to  the  open  avowal  of  a  Chinese,  and 
of  his  profession  of  faith  in  Christ.  Was  it  not  en- 
couraging to  hear  a  Chinaman  say,  "I  have  found  no 
rest  in  Confucianism,  Buddhism  or  Taoism,  but  I 
do  find  rest  in  what  I  have  heard  to-night.  Hence- 
forth I  am  a  believer  in  Jesus." 

Mr.  Taylor  at  length  assumed  charge  of  the  Mis- 
sion Hospital  at  Ningpo,  and  accepted  also  the  dis- 
pensary work.  Often  there  were  fifty  patients  in 
the  hospital,  besides  a  large  number  in  the  outside 
department.  All  the  needs  of  the  patients  were  sup- 
plied free  of  charge,  and  as  Mr.  Taylor  saw  the  sup- 
plies diminish  gradually  until  they  were  nearly  ex- 
hausted, he  renewed  his  earnest  prayers  for  assist- 
ance to  meet  the  pressing  necessity.  His  faith  was 
as  undiminished  as  were  his  efforts.  At  this  extrem- 
ity he  received  a  letter  from  England  that  seemed 
most  providentially  sent.  Enclosed  in  the  letter  was 
a  remittance  for  fifty  pounds  for  special  needs.  With 
overflowing  and  grateful  hearts,  Mr,  Taylor  and 
his  assistants  blessed  their  ever-watchful  Saviour. 
When  the  patients  were  told  of  this  remarkable  cir- 
cumstance, they  felt  keenly  the  insufficiency  of  their 


232  Pioneer  Missionaries 

own  religion  and  were  deeply  convinced  of  the  soul- 
satisfying  power  of  the  Christian  religion.  This  one 
instance  was  the  means  of  turning  many  from  their 
idol  worship.  In  nine  months  sixteen  patients  were 
baptized  and  over  thirty  native  Christians  united 
with  the  Church. 

Continual  mental  and  physical  strain  compelled 
Mr,  Taylor  to  desist  from  his  arduous  and  persever- 
ing labors,  and  in  i860,  on  account  of  failing  health, 
he  was  forced  to  leave  his  increasing  and  promising 
work  and  return  to  England. 

This  return  to  England  and  his  ever-present  desire 
that  more  young  men  might  engage  in  his  work  was 
the  beginning  of  the  formation  of  the  China  Inland 
Mission.  Everywhere  he  made  urgent  appeals  for 
workers.  He  longed  for  people  who  would  return 
with  him  and  engage  in  the  work.  His  constant 
prayer  for  consecrated  laborers  who  would  associate 
with  him  for  the  promotion  of  the  evangelization  of 
those  darkened  provinces  was  answered.  Five 
Christians  ofifered  themselves  for  work  in  the  un- 
reached part  of  China's  vast  empire. 

About  this  time  Mr.  Taylor  published  a  little  book 
called  "China's  Spiritual  Needs  and  Claims,"  which 
was  widely  circulated.  Soon  after  this  he  received 
letters  from  those  desirous  of  going  forth  to  work. 
After  personal  interviews  with  Mr.  Taylor,  they  en- 
gaged in  study  preparatory  for  that  special  field  of 
labor. 


James  Hudson  Taylor  233 

In  1865  the  China  Inland  Mission  was  organized. 
It  had  for  its  object  the  evangelization  of  the  whole 
Chinese  Empire.  In  1866  Mr.  Taylor  again  sailed 
for  China,  but  this  time  with  a  party  of  sixteen  co- 
workers— volunteers,  who  bravely  undertook  the 
work  of  the  great  forward  movement.  While  each 
person  had  no  guaranteed  salary,  unsolicited  con- 
tributions from  the  first  met  their  urgent  needs. 

After  arriving  at  Shanghai  and  announcing  their 
intentions  of  penetrating  into  the  interior,  they  were 
pronounced  "mad,"  for  it  was  deemed  an  impossibil- 
ity. As  the  weeks  passed,  their  determination  and 
willingness  to  meet  even  death  in  the  attempt  con- 
quered all  opposition.  Several  of  their  little  party 
settled  in  Hang-chau,  and  others  gradually  pro- 
ceeded farther  toward  the  interior  in  the  province  of 
Cheh-kiang.  While  the  work  of  those  first  few  years 
was  largely  one  of  pioneering  and  exploration,  many 
little  stations  were  established  and  churches  formed. 

Later,  more  helpers  arrived  to  strengthen  their 
ranks,  and  the  second  decade  of  their  work  was 
marked  by  establishment  and  extension.  In  some 
provinces  every  important  city  and  town  was  visited. 
Slowly,  yet  steadily,  the  work  progressed.  Dis- 
pensary work  had  been  begun  in  Hang-chau,  indus- 
trial classes  for  women,  as  well  as  schools  for  boys 
and  girls,  had  been  formed,  great  numbers  of  books 
had  been  distributed,  and  wherever  these  earnest  and 
devoted  people  settled  the  evangelistic  work  increased 


2  34  Pioneer  Missionaries 

with  encouraging  results.  More  frequent  became 
those  long  and  perilous  missionary  journeys  that 
were  taken  from  the  centers  to  the  more  remote  dis- 
tricts. By  the  close  of  1885  there  were  225  mission- 
aries, 59  churches  and  a  membership  of  1,655  native 
Christians.  Surely  the  Lord  was  sending  a  rich  re- 
ward! 

The  third  decade  was  mainly  one  of  develop- 
ment and  consolidation.  A  China  council  of  senior 
missionaries  was  formed  to  superintend  the  work. 
Training  homes  for  newly  arrived  missionaries  were 
established ;  books  were  prepared  to  more  clearly  aid 
the  volunteers  in  their  study  of  the  Chinese  lan- 
guage; more  schools  were  organized  and  more  na- 
tive preachers  trained.  In  an  equally  remarkable  de- 
gree the  medical  work  was  forwarded ;  more  medical 
students  were  fitting  themselves  for  the  work; 
trained  nurses  were  being  developed  and  new  hospi- 
tals were  established. 

In  1888  Mr.  Taylor  made  a  tour  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada.  He  spoke  at  Mr.  Moody's  con- 
vention at  Northfield  and  at  the  Niagara  confer- 
ences. As  a  result  of  his  addresses,  many  generous 
contributions  were  given  voluntarily.  It  was  evi- 
dent that  the  great  work  could  in  one  way  be  pur- 
sued on  this  continent,  and  Toronto  was  chosen  for 
the  headquarters  of  the  American  branch.  Commit- 
tees also  took  up  the  work  in  England,  Norway, 
Sweden,  Finland  and  Germany,  who  sent  forth  and 


James  Hudson  Taylor  235 

assisted  in  the  support  of  their  own  workers.  In 
1890  Mr.  Taylor  visited  Australia,  and  the  Austral- 
asian branch  was  formed. 

In  1900  there  was  a  membership  of  over  800  peo- 
ple, 774  native  assistants,  171  stations,  and  8,557 
communicants,  besides  scores  of  adherents.  The 
characteristics  and  principles  of  the  China  Inland 
Mission  have  remained  almost  unchanged  since  its 
formation.  It  is  thoroughly  evangelical,  no  debts 
are  contracted,  each  worker  goes  forth  depending 
upon  the  Lord  for  aid;  the  mission  depends  upon 
spontaneous  and  free-will  offerings,  and  is  interna- 
tional in  spirit.  It  accepts  both  ordained  and  unor- 
dained  laborers,  both  single  and  married  persons, 
and  seeks  to  reach  places  where  the  Gospel  has  never 
been  preached.  This  great  work  of  prayer  and  faith 
owes  its  origin  to  James  Hudson  Taylor,  and  seeks 
to  fulfill  the  Lord's  command  to  "preach  the  Gospel 
to  every  creature." 


CROSBY   HOWARD  WHEELER,   D.D. 

BORN  SEPTEMBER  8,   1823. 
DIED  OCTOBER  II,   1 896. 

Joel  Wheeler  was  the  keeper  of  the  village  tavern 
in  the  obscure  town  of  Hampden,  Me.,  and,  like  most 
tavern  keepers  in  the  thirties  of  the  last  century,  he 
maintained  a  public  bar  for  the  sale  of  strong  drinks. 
He  was  assisted  at  the  bar  by  his  tall  and  energetic 
son,  Crosby,  who  quickly  learned  to  mix  the  differ- 
ent drinks  with  great  skill,  but  who  never  acquired 
a  knowledge  of  their  taste.  Joel  Wheeler  was  a 
shrewd  and  able  man,  but  he  was  not  a  Christian. 
When  young  Crosby  began  to  think  for  himself  upon 
the  work  he  was  doing,  he  declined  to  have  anything 
more  to  do  with  the  bar,  and  his  decision  had  the 
support  of  his  mother. 

From  that  village  home  soon,  under  the  guiding 
love  of  his  devout  Christian  mother,  came  the  boy 
and  man  whom  the  Lord  sent  out  into  Armenia  and 
Koordistan — then  a  wild  and  unknown  country — to 
subdue  the  land,  and  whose  name  is  so  widely  known 
to-day  throughout  that  country. 

Crosby  Wheeler  was  born  in  Hampden,  Me.,  Sep- 
tember 8,  1823,  and  under  the  wise  direction  of  his 
mother  and  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Tappan,  D.D.,  he 


CROSBY    H.     WHF.F.I.KR 


Crosby  Howard  Wheeler  237 

prepared  for  Bowdoin  College,  entering  in  1843. 
Although  he  was  compelled  to  earn  his  own  way 
through  college,  he  graduated  in  1847.  After  teach- 
ing two  years  in  Litchfield,  Me.,  he  entered  Bangor 
Theological  Seminary  in  the  fall  of  1849,  completing 
the  course  in  1852.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Susan 
Anna  Brookings  in  December  of  the  year  he  gradu- 
ated from  the  Seminary,  and  served  as  pastor  in 
Warren,  Me.,  until  1857,  when  he  and  his  young 
wife  set  out  upon  a  sailing  vessel  for  Armenia  as 
missionaries  of  the  American  Board  of  Commission- 
ers for  Foreign  Missions.  A  part  of  the  cargo  of 
the  vessel  upon  which  they  sailed  consisted  of  New 
England  rum. 

In  1857,  when  Mr.  Wheeler  began  his  life-work 
in  Turkey,  but  little  was  positively  understood  of  the 
conditions  that  prevailed  in  the  interior  of  the  coun- 
try where  he  expected  to  be  located.  Only  one  mis- 
sionary had  been  at  work  in  the  region  of  Harpoot, 
which  lies  in  a  large  bend  of  the  upper  waters  of  the 
Euphrates  River,  deep  in  the  mountains  of  Armenia 
and  Koordistan.  That  part  of  the  country  was 
mostly  in  the  hands  and  under  the  control  of  warlike 
Koordish  beys.  Disorder,  oppression  and  misrule 
characterized  the  general  state  of  affairs.  The  cen- 
tral government  at  Constantinople  had  little  time  or 
inclination  to  devote  to  securing  justice  for  the  op- 
pressed people  of  Armenia.  The  one  missionary  at 
Harpoot,  Mr.  Dunmore,  who  had  been  there  only 


238  Pioneer  Missionaries 

three  years,  in  writing  for  reinforcements  a  little 
while  before  Mr.  Wheeler  sailed,  said,  "I  may  be 
killed  in  the  streets  like  a  dog  any  day." 

Indications  of  danger  had  no  deterrent  effect  upon 
Mr.  Wheeler  and  his  brave  wife;  peril  the  rather 
spurred  them  on  with  greater  eagerness  to  respond  to 
the  call  for  help.  While  waiting  for  final  decision  as 
to  a  permanent  location,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wheeler  pro- 
ceeded to  Trebizond,  towards  the  eastern  end  of  the 
Black  Sea  and  upon  its  southern  shore,  where  the 
study  of  the  Armenian  language  was  at  once  entered 
upon  with  great  vigor.  At  this  place  were  Rev.  and 
Mrs.  O.  P.  Allen,  the  latter  a  sister  of  Mr.  Wheeler, 
who  had  recently  gone  out.  The  first  Sabbath  after 
Mr.  Wheeler's  arrival  at  Trebizond  he  assisted  at  a 
communion  service,  using  the  Armenian  language. 

On  the  last  day  of  July,  1857,  these  four  entered 
the  city  of  Harpoot,  the  capital  of  one  of  the  strong- 
est and  most  densely  populated  interior  states  or 
vilayets  of  the  interior  of  Turkey,  and  where  they 
all  labored,  together  with  Rev.  and  Mrs.  H.  N.  Bar- 
num,  who  joined  the  station  a  year  or  two  later,  for 
thirty-nine  years.  After  the  Turkish  massacres  in 
1895,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Wheeler  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen 
(Dr.  Wlieeler  and  Mrs.  Allen  being  then  hopeless  in- 
valids) were  forced  to  return  to  the  homeland,  and 
the  circle  was  broken. 

The  people  in  the  Harpoot  mission  field,  which 
covers  an  area  as  large  as  the  two  States  of  Vermont 


Crosby  Howard  Wheeler  239 

and  New  Hampshire,  were  mostly  Turks,  Arme- 
nians, Syrians  and  Koords.  The  Turks  and  Koords 
were  Mohammedans  and  the  Syrians  and  Armenians 
were  nominal  Christians,  members  of  the  old  Syrian 
and  Gregorian  churches,  which  had  then  lost  their 
tone  of  vital  Christianity  and  were  a  mere  form  of 
worship,  without  the  spirit  of  godliness.  There  was 
little  done  in  any  community  for  the  education  of 
boys,  and  nothing  whatever  for  the  girls.  The  peo- 
ple there  even  disputed  whether  girls  were  capable 
of  learning  to  read,  the  conclusion  being  that  they 
never  could  learn,  even  under  most  favorable  condi- 
tions. It  was  a  country  in  which  violence,  plunder 
and  lawlessness  prevailed;  a  wild,  rugged  country 
in  every  sense  of  the  word,  and  the  new  missionaries 
had  come  to  subdue  and  possess  the  land. 

Dr.  Wheeler  mastered  the  Armenian  language 
with  unusual  speed.  He  gave  himself  to  the  spoken 
and  common  tongue  of  the  people,  and  soon  was  able 
to  make  himself  thoroughly  understood.  He  also 
mingled  freely  with  them,  that  he  might  the  better 
know  them  and  their  manner  of  thought  and  life. 
While  not  relaxing  in  the  least  his  efforts  to  reach 
people  through  preaching,  he  gave  much  attention  to 
the  sale  of  primers  and  leaflets  and  the  opening  of 
schools  for  the  children.  He  was  early  convinced 
that  the  children  must  be  taught  not  only  evangelical 
Christianity,  but  other  practical  branches  as  well,  in 
order  to  develop  an  evangelical  leadership  later  on. 


240  Pioneer  Missionaries 

Not  long  after  taking  up  his  residence  at  Har- 
poot,  Mr.  Wheeler  sent  to  the  United  States  and 
bought  a  stove  for  one  of  the  native  churches  in  the 
field,  which  worshiped  in  a  building  erected  by 
funds  from  the  United  States,  and  listened  to  a  pas- 
tor who  drew  his  support  entirely  from  the  American 
Board.  The  stove  came,  and  Dr.  Wheeler  sent  it  to 
the  church,  paying  all  transportation  charges  him- 
self. In  a  few  days  he  received  from  one  of  the  dea- 
cons of  the  church  to  whom  the  stove  was  sent  a  bill 
for  receiving  the  stove  and  setting  it  up.  This  was 
too  much  for  Mr.  Wheeler,  who  at  once  proclaimed 
the  policy  that  the  permanent  support  of  native  insti- 
tutions by  funds  from  abroad  is  wholly  wrong  and 
vicious,  declaring  that  "native  pastors  must  be  or- 
dained over  native  churches  and  supported  by  them, 
and  native  churches  must  be  ultimately  self-govern- 
ing and  self-perpetuating."  To  this  policy  he  gave 
the  best  thought  and  effort  of  his  life.  Probably  no 
one  man  has  done  more  to  emphasize  the  importance 
of  this  question  and  to  lead  to  the  general  acceptance 
of  the  policy  by  all  mission  boards  in  all  parts  of  the 
world  than  did  Mr,  Wheeler  by  the  publication  of  his 
book,  "Ten  Years  on  the  Euphrates,"  published  in 
1868. 

Mr.  Wheeler  never  receded  from  this  position,  and 
under  his  effort  many  strong,  self-supporting,  ag- 
gressive churches  were  formed.  The  terrible  polit- 
ical conditions  of  the  country  which  paralyzed  busi- 


Crosby   Howard  Wheeler  241 

ness,  culminating  in  the  massacres  of  1895,  pre- 
vented the  largest  and  most  successful  application  of 
the  policy  of  self-support.  But  the  principle  was 
established,  which  holds  good  in  all  lands  and  for  all 
time. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wheeler  began  a  school  in  the  base- 
ment of  their  hired  house  during  the  first  year  of 
their  residence  in  Harpoot.  There  were  then  no 
schools  worthy  the  name  in  all  that  country,  and  this 
one  was  indeed  an  object  of  interest  and  curiosity  to 
the  people.  Discussions  and  controversies  arose  on 
every  side,  and  much  bitter  opposition  upon  the  part 
of  the  Gregorian  clergy  was  manifested;  but  the 
pupils  increased  in  numbers. 

Girls  were  also  taught,  and  the  storm  created  by 
the  boys'  school  was  but  a  zephyr  compared  to  the 
hurricane  which  raged  about  the  school  for  girls. 
This  was  a  new  and  even  unthinkable  proposition  to 
the  people  of  that  country,  who  were  sure  girls  could 
not  learn  to  read  any  more  than  a  donkey,  and  should 
one  perchance  master  the  art,  no  man  would  ever 
marry  such  a  prodigy — and  not  to  marry  was  the 
worst  affliction  that  could  befall  the  daughter  of  any 
man. 

Without  faltering,  for  thirty-nine  years  Dr. 
Wheeler  worked  for  the  multiplication  of  schools 
and  the  improvement  of  their  grade.  When  he  was 
compelled  to  cease  his  labors  in  Turkey  and  return 
to  this  country  to  die,  he  was  the  President  of  Eu- 


242  Pioneer  Missionaries 

phrates  College,  which  had  grown  up  under  his  lead- 
ership, in  which  there  were  over  five  hundred  pupils 
in  all  grades,  over  one  hundred  of  whom  were  in  the 
collegiate  department,  and  about  half  of  whom  were 
girls.  In  the  city  of  Harpoot  there  were  over  eleven 
hundred  pupils  at  the  time,  and  in  the  territory  cov- 
ered by  the  station  nearly  five  thousand.  Christian- 
ity was  taught  to  all  of  these  pupils. 

Dr.  Wheeler  had  marvelous  energy.  A  de- 
cision was  followed  immediately  by  correspond- 
ing action.  In  1886  he  started  to  put  up  a 
new  hall  for  the  male  department  of  the  col- 
lege. A  Turkish  mob  drove  away  his  work- 
men when  they  began  to  dig  for  the  foundation. 
He  frightened  the  mob  away  and  began  again,  when 
a  squad  of  police  arrived  and  told  him  he  could  not 
proceed  without  a  permit  from  the  Governor,  whose 
palace  was  three  miles  away.  With  one  of  the  pro- 
fessors of  the  college,  he  mounted  a  horse  and  has- 
tened into  the  presence  of  the  Governor  and  asked 
for  the  necessary  permission.  The  Governor  told 
him  he  did  not  own  the  land,  and  therefore  could  not 
build  until  the  land  was  purchased  from  the  govern- 
ment. Dr.  Wheeler  asked,  ''How  much  is  the  land 
worth?"  "Fifty  liras"  (over  $200),  replied  the 
Governor.  "When  I  purchase  the  land  will  you  give 
me  permission  to  complete  my  building?"  asked  Dr. 
Wheeler.  "Certainly  I  will,"  was  the  reply,  given  in 
the  presence  of  several  leading  officers.    Dr.  Wheeler 


Crosby   Howard  Wheeler  243 

sent  the  professor  out  to  the  market  to  borrow,  in 
his  name,  the  amount  demanded,  handed  the  money 
to  the  Governor,  and  then  said  :  ''Now,  according  to 
your  promise,  I  may  proceed  with  my  work."  "You 
may,"  repHed  the  Governor,  and  in  two  hours  the 
corner-stone  of  the  new  three-story  stone  hall  was 
laid  with  fitting  ceremony,  and  the  building  was  com- 
pleted in  a  remarkably  short  time. 

It  was  in  this  building  that  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Wheeler 
and  the  other  missionaries,  with  over  two  hundred 
native  Christians,  took  their  last  stand  against  the 
attacking  Turks  and  Koords  in  the  massacres  of 
1895.  Here  the  attack  was  stayed,  and  all  who  were 
within  the  college  were  spared.  Mr.  Wheeler  was 
carried  to  this  refuge  in  an  invalid  chair  by  some  of 
his  students,  while  his  own  house  was  in  flames,  and 
there  he  remained  until  he  came  to  the  United  States 
the  following  year. 

Dr.  Wheeler's  versatility  was  wonderful.  He  was 
a  preacher  of  unusual  power,  swaying  the  people  by 
the  force  of  his  emotion,  eloquence  and  earnestness. 
It  was  said  that  he  could  make  an  audience  of  Ar- 
menians do  anything  he  wished  them  to  do.  In  the 
earlier  days  of  the  mission,  when  there  was  no  little 
hostility  between  the  Gregorians  and  the  Protestants, 
Mr.  Wheeler  was  attending  service  in  a  Gregorian 
church  which  was  packed  v/ith  people.  He  was  in- 
vited to  speak,  but  when  he  arose  to  do  so  the  crowd 
began  to  express  their  displeasure,  declaring  it  was 


244  Pioneer  Missionaries 

a  shame  to  permit  such  an  one  to  desecrate  their  holy 
church  by  blaspheming  within  its  walls.  After  mak- 
ing several  attempts  to  speak  without  securing  a 
hearing,  he  turned  and  kissed  the  cross  that  was  just 
behind  him  upon  a  screen.  The  tumult  ceased  imme- 
diately. Mr.  Wheeler  then  told  them  that  the  cross 
was  as  dear  to  him  as  it  could  possibly  be  to  them, 
and  the  way  was  opened  for  a  long  and  searching 
address. 

He  was  an  enthusiastic  teacher,  a  man  not  sur- 
passed in  pioneer  mission  work,  an  organizer  of 
schools,  the  builder  and  president  of  the  only  college 
in  Eastern  Turkey,  which  is  the  only  higher  educa- 
tional institution  for  not  less  than  five  millions  of 
people. 

Knowing  nothing  about  printing  before  his  ap- 
pointment as  a  missionary,  he  ordered  out  a  printing- 
press  and  outfit,  and  for  years,  until  stopped  by  the 
Turkish  Government,  he  did  an  extensive  publishing 
business,  he  himself  preparing  a  large  variety  of 
text-books  in  both  English  and  Armenian  for  the 
primary  and  preparatory  schools. 

He  had  received  no  instruction  in  architecture 
and  practical  building,  and  yet  during  his  thirty-nine 
years  of  missionary  experience  he  planned  and 
erected  some  thirty  different  buildings,  including 
dwellings,  churches  and  the  large  buildings  of  Eu- 
phrates College,  many  of  which  were  destroyed  in 
1895.    In  all  of  his  building  operations  he  superin- 


Crosby   Howard  Wheeler  245 

tended  minute  details   and  made  himself   familiar 
with  everything. 

His  monument  is  Euphrates  College,  which  grew 
up  under  his  far-seeing,  wise  direction.  By  his  own 
efforts  an  endowment  fund  of  seventy-five  thousand 
dollars  was  secured,  with  money  for  necessary  build-, 
ings.  By  his  most  careful  financial  management  this 
endowment  fund  was  gradually  increased  until  it 
now  amounts  to  over  eighty  thousand  dollars.  The 
number  of  pupils  now  in  the  college,  including  its 
primary  schools,  is  over  one  thousand. 

This  country  boy  of  Maine  has  put  the  stamp 
of  his  personality,  spiritual  earnestness  and  tire- 
less energy  upon  all  Eastern  Turkey,  if  not  upon 
the  Turkish  Empire.  He  found  chaos  and  dis- 
order; he  left  a  fairly  well-organized  Christian 
school  system  for  both  boys  and  girls,  self-support- 
ing, self-governing,  self -propagating  Christian 
churches,  a  strong  Home  Missionary  society  among 
the  native  churches  for  work  in  Koordistan,  and  a 
college  that  is  deeply  entrenched  in  the  confidence 
and  affection  of  all  classes,  crowded  with  students 
and  yet  unable  to  meet  the  demands  that  come  from 
all  sides  for  teachers  in  the  lower  schools. 

Dr.  Wheeler's  pupils  hold  positions  of  influence 
and  trust  in  Armenia,  Egypt,  Asia  Minor,  England 
and  all  over  the  United  States.  They  are  pastors, 
preachers,  teachers,  editors,  lawyers,  physicians  and 
business  men,  who  bear  in  a  variety  of  forms  much 


246  Pioneer  Missionaries 

of  that  deep  influence  which  Dr.  Wheeler  always  ex- 
erted over  all  who  came  into  close  relation  with  him. 
Few  men  in  two  score  years  are  permitted  to  do  a 
work  so  broad  and  permanent  in  its  results  as  that 
accomplished  by  Dr.  Crosby  Howard  Wheeler, 
whose  body  lies  in  the  cemetery  at  Newton  Center, 
Mass.,  with  a  granite  memorial  stone  at  its  head, 
erected  by  his  Armenian  pupils,  who  asked  the  privi- 
lege of  thus  testifying  to  their  affection  for  their 
former  teacher  and  friend. 


SAMUEL   ROLLINS    BROWN,    D.D. 

BORN  JUNE   l6,   1810. 
DIED  JUNE  20,    1880. 

One  of  the  most  potent  of  the  influences  which 
resulted  in  the  evolution  of  China  and  Japan  was 
secured  by  the  zealous  efforts  of  American  pioneer 
missionaries.  None  performed  a  more  lasting  and 
greater  work  than  Samuel  Rollins  Brown.  In  the 
three-fold  capacity  of  teacher,  missionary  and 
preacher,  he  inspired  China  and  Japan  to  take  their 
rightful  places  among  the  world's  great  nations. 

Regarding  him  as  a  pioneer  in  woman's  higher 
education,  an  early  instructor  of  the  deaf  and  dumb, 
a  pioneer  in  bringing  to  America  the  first  Chinese 
students  for  education,  a  missionary,  a  translator  of 
the  New  Testament  into  Japanese,  we  wonder  that 
one  man  could  accomplish  so  much. 

He  was  born  at  East  Windsor,  Conn.,  June  i6, 
1810,  thirteen  days  before  the  American  Board  was 
formed.  To  its  work  Mrs.  Brown  prayed  that  her 
child  might  be  consecrated.  How  fully  those  prayers 
were  answered ! 

In  18 18  the  family  moved  to  Monson,  Mass. 
Here,  in  this  New  England  hill  town,  was  an  acad- 


248  Pioneer  Missionaries 

emy,  which  the  boy  entered.  Here,  too,  was  the 
large  Sunday-school,  where,  in  1824,  it  was  an- 
nounced that  the  boy  Samuel  Brown  had  obtained 
next  to  the  highest  record,  having  recited  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty  Bible  verses !  From  this  Sunday- 
school  went  forth  seven  missionaries. 

After  teaching  several  terms  in  district  schools, 
and  giving  to  his  father  his  meager  earnings,  Samuel 
Brown  decided  he  must  enter  college.  With  his 
father's  horse  and  buggy  he  drove  to  Amherst  Col- 
lege. With  only  sufficient  money  to  keep  his  horse 
and  with  a  pocketful  of  crackers  and  cheese,  he  pre- 
sented himself,  was  examined  and  successfully 
passed ;  but  alas !  the  money  was  exhausted,  and  dire 
necessity  compelled  him  for  the  time  to  abandon  his 
plan. 

After  a  continued  period  of  teaching,  a  family 
friend  offered  assistance  if  he  would  enter  Yale.  Al- 
most penniless,  without  suitable  clothing  and  no 
prospect  of  financial  aid,  but  with  faith,  ambition  and 
determination,  he  started  for  Yale.  As  he  entered 
the  college  halls  it  mattered  little  to  him  if  his  coat 
was  several  sizes  too  large  and  cut  from  one  of  his 
father's  old  ones,  or  that  he  had  but  six  and  one-half 
cents  in  his  pocket  after  defraying  his  traveling  ex- 
penses. He  met  college  expenses  by  working  in  the 
wood-yard,  waiting  on  tables,  ringing  college  bells 
and  teaching  vocal  and  instrumental  music.  His  de- 
termination to  obtain  a  college  education  found  a 


Samuel  Rollins  Brown  249 

way  to  secure  it.  At  his  graduation  he  felt  gratified 
to  know  that  he  had  a  high  rank,  a  diploma,  fifty 
dollars,  and  a  large  circle  of  cultivated,  influential 
friends. 

After  teaching,  he  pursued  a  course  of  study  at  the 
Theological  Seminary  in  Columbia,  S.  C,  and  at 
Union  Theological  Seminary,  New  York.  This  was 
followed  by  the  work  of  teaching  in  the  New  York 
Institute  for  Deaf  and  Dumb. 

He  had  previously  offered  himself  to  the  Ameri- 
can Board,  stating  that  he  desired  to  go  as  a  mission- 
ary to  China.  The  Morrison  Education  Society's 
fund  was  to  be  devoted  to  the  great  cause  so  valiantly 
begun,  and  to  him  was  given  the  privilege.  On  Oc- 
tober 10,  1838,  he  was  married  to  the  friend  of  his 
boyhood  days.  Miss  Bartlett,  of  East  Windsor, 
Conn.,  and  one  week  later  the  young  couple  em- 
barked for  China.  After  a  voyage  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  days  they  arrived  in  Macao.  As 
foreign  women  were  not  then  allowed  in  China,  the 
life  of  the  young  wife  might  have  been  in  danger 
had  not  a  covered  boat  conveyed  the  party  to  the 
custom  house.  Here  Mrs.  Brown  was  admitted  into 
the  isolated,  strict  country  as  "freight." 

Mr.  Brown's  first  work  was  the  study  of  the 
Chinese  language,  and  among  his  earliest  efforts  was 
that  of  establishing  a  school.  His  early  endeavors 
were  not  promising.  The  Chinese  did  not  wish  their 
sons  taught  English;  they  felt  convinced  that  a  sel- 


250  Pioneer  Missionaries 

fish  purpose  must  underlie  Mr.  Brown's  desire  to 
teach  them.  As  they  were  unable  to  comprehend 
such  unselfishness,  it  became  difficult  to  secure  pu- 
pils. Mr.  Brown  could  obtain  but  six  boys,  and 
these  only  by  offering  to  them  board,  clothing  and 
tuition  free.  His  pupils  acquired  English  easily. 
Soon  ten  boys  were  daily  taught.  Moral  training 
and  character  building  were  regarded  of  higher  im- 
portance than  intellectual  training. 

After  the  cession  of  the  island  of  Hong  Kong  to 
the  British,  the  Governor  of  Hong  Kong  gave  a  lot 
for  the  erection  of  a  school,  and  Mr.  Dent,  president 
of  the  Morrison  Education  Society,  gave  three  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  edifice.  Mr.  Brown's  school  was 
removed  to  Hong  Kong,  November  i,  1842.  The 
dormitory  accommodated  twenty-four  boys,  who 
spent  half  the  day  in  the  study  of  Chinese  under  na- 
tive teachers  and  the  other  half  in  studying  English 
under  Mr.  Brown,  who,  besides  teaching,  was  pre- 
paring a  new  text-book  for  the  Chinese  when  study- 
ing English.  By  degrees  Mr.  Brown  conquered  the 
Chinese  suspicions.  Pupils  who  were  dishonest, 
cowardly  and  ignorant  at  first  soon  began  to  show 
signs  of  truthfulness,  courage  and  intelligence.  Mr. 
Brown  felt  the  urgent  need  of  more  modern  text- 
books. After  preparing  a  grammar  he  prepared  an 
elementary  class-book  on  political  economy.  This 
was  translated  into  Chinese  and  published  in  1847. 

During  this  same  year  Mrs.  Brown's  health  de- 


Samuel  Rollins  Brown  251 

manded  a  return  to  America.  They  brought  with 
them  three  Chinese  boys,  the  first  Chinese  brought 
to  the  United  States  for  Christian  education.  These 
boys  made  a  great  sensation  in  Monson,  Mass., 
where  they  were  taken. 

Mr.  Brown's  first  thought  in  America  was  to  seek 
new  fields  for  usefulness.  When  the  Academy  at 
Rome,  N.  Y.,  was  opened,  Mr.  Brown  was  called  to 
become  its  principal.  He  accepted,  took  his  three 
Chinese  students  with  him,  and  had  three  hundred 
and  ten  under  his  charge  the  first  year.  His  inborn 
refinement,  cultivation  and  gentlemanly  bearing,  to- 
gether with  his  broad  attainments  and  executive  abil- 
ity, won  for  him  a  wide  influence  here. 

In  1 85 1  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Re- 
formed Dutch  Church  at  Owasco  Outlet,  near  Au- 
burn, N.  Y.  With  a  salary  of  less  than  three  hun- 
dred dollars,  he  endeavored  to  resuscitate  a  church 
almost  dead  and  raise  money  to  erect  a  new  edifice. 
With  his  farm  of  seventy  acres,  the  select  boys' 
boarding-school  which  he  established,  and  his  suc- 
cessful church  work,  he  became  widely  known  as  a 
great  organizer  and  leader.  Here,  as  farmer,  pro- 
fessor and  clergyman,  he  labored  for  eight  years. 
Inside  of  four  years  the  new  church  was  built,  and 
fresh  interest  and  enthusiasm  were  everywhere  man- 
ifested. 

At  this  time  he  labored  unceasingly  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  woman's  college.     One  of  the  earliest 


252  Pioneer  Missionaries 

steps  taken  to  establish  Elmira  College — the  first 
chartered  woman's  college  in  America — occurred  at 
Albany  in  1851.  Mr,  Brown  was  one  of  the  incor- 
porators, also  chairman  of  the  first  executive  com- 
mittee, besides  lending  zeal  for  obtaining  a  site,  ob- 
taining contributions  and  planning  the  course  of 
study.  A  new  era  of  education  for  women  was  now 
inaugurated,  and  Mr.  Brown  was  one  of  the  fore- 
most pioneers  in  the  movement. 

The  Reformed  Dutch  Church  had  determined  to 
establish  a  mission  in  Japan.  Always  manifesting 
the  spirit  of  a  brave  pioneer  and  true  leader,  Samuel 
Rollins  Brown  unhesitatingly  accepted  the  call  to  go 
to  Japan.  Many  a  man  who  had  lived  a  half  cen- 
tury would  not  attempt  such  a  great  work  in  an  un- 
tried field,  but  he  received  his  appointment  with  the 
same  consecrated  spirit  that  had  characterized  his 
previous  life-work. 

He  sailed  May  7,  1859.  Just  twenty-one  years 
before  this  he  had  sailed  over  the  same  waters  with 
his  young  bride  for  China.  On  the  voyage  he  began 
the  study  of  Japanese,  mastering  two  hundred  and 
fifty  words  and  the  art  of  writing  a  few  characters. 
His  knowledge  of  the  Chinese  ideographs  gave  him 
exceptional  ability  for  more  readily  reading  Japa- 
nese. When  they  reached  China  and  tarried  a  few 
days,  it  gave  him  unspeakable  pleasure  to  meet  his 
old  pupils,  many  of  whom  now  occupied  high  posi- 
tions of  trust  and  honor. 


Samuel  Rollins  Brown  253 

On  November  3,  1859,  he  reached  Kanagawa.  At 
once  difficulties  were  encountered.  Thousands  of 
the  natives  were  filled  with  suspicion.  Christianity- 
was  accursed  by  the  priests,  who  regarded  it  as  a  sort 
of  witch-like  sorcery  or  satanic  magic.  Many  na- 
tives declared  themselves  ready  to  murder  the  "for- 
eign devils,"  as  they  were  called.  Government  of- 
ficers called  to  ascertain  if  Mr.  Brown  had  evil  in- 
tentions. Their  suspicions  were  overcome  by  Mr. 
Brown's  tact  and  kindly  manner.  After  a  few  weeks, 
Mr.  Brown  was  appointed  chaplain  to  the  American 
legation.  On  Sunday,  March  11,  i860,  divine  ser- 
vice was  held  in  the  American  legation.  This  little 
service  was  noteworthy  in  Japan's  history  of  Chris- 
tianity. Surely  this  was  a  stepping-stone  to  higher 
work. 

With  zeal  Mr.  Brown  studied  the  possibilities  of 
the  ports,  the  character  and  customs  of  the  people, 
their  religion,  history  and  government.  Prodigious 
were  his  investigations  and  work  relative  to  the  Jap- 
anese language  and  literature.  Preaching  services 
after  a  time  were  daily  held  at  his  home.  One  of 
his  first  projects  was  to  erect  a  church  edifice,  and  he 
solicited  one  thousand  dollars  for  this  first  Protestant 
house  of  worship  in  Japan.  While  teaching  and 
preaching  he  was  daily  writing  a  book,  to  be  called 
"Colloquial  Japanese." 

Amidst  the  discouragements  of  those  early  months 
there  came  many  happy  days.    Upon  one  occasion  he 


254  Pioneer  Missionaries 

received  two  hundred  pounds  sterling  from  Hono- 
lulu, the  first  donation  toward  the  coveted  mission 
chapel  in  this  land.  His  heart  was  doubly  gladdened 
with  the  thought  that  such  a  contribution  should 
come  from  a  land  that  but  forty  years  previour-  was 
a  pagan  island.  Again,  he  received  a  New  Year's 
present  of  a  house  and  lot.  This  came  from  British, 
American  and  Dutch  friends.  Everywhere  he  was 
loved  and  respected.  Unselfish  and  constant  hos- 
pitalities were  dispensed  from  his  home,  which  was 
the  social  center  for  diplomatists,  interpreters,  mer- 
chants, students,  visitors,  as  well  as  the  Japanese 
callers.  He  grew  to  love  these  Japanese,  and  he 
once  said :  "Had  I  a  hundred  lives  to  live  over 
again,  I  would  give  them  all  for  Japan." 

During  the  dark  years  of  the  Civil  War  in  the 
United  States  Mr.  Brown  was  practically  without 
money.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to  photog- 
raphy, and  was  the  first  to  give  to  this  country 
photographs  of  Japanese  people,  their  costumes  and 
environment. 

Political  clouds  gathered  in  Japan,  and  as  there 
was  then  no  protection  from  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment to  Americans  and  missionaries  at  Kana- 
gawa,  and  as  orders  had  come  from  the  Mikado  to 
close  the  ports  and  drive  out  the  foreigners,  Mr. 
Brown  removed  to  Yokohama. 

In  1863  he  had  a  class  in  the  government  school. 
Teaching  was  rendered  somewhat  difficult  at  times, 


Samuel  Rollins  Brown  255 

for  here  professional  spies,  or  government  inspect- 
ors, were  almost  constantly  in  the  room,  expecting 
to  detect  treason.  Many  of  the  students  in  this 
school  were  grown-up  men.  After  a  time  earnest 
inquirers  began  to  seek  Mr.  Brown,  declaring  that 
neither  Buddhism  nor  the  doctrines  of  Shinto  were 
satisfying.  The  new  and  true  light  seemed  dawn- 
ing in  the  receptive  minds  of  these  Japanese. 

Mr.  Brown's  work  among  the  sailors  was  most 
patient.  One  hundred  signed  the  pledge  of  total 
abstinence,  and  there  were  thirty  communicants.  He 
was  instrumental  in  opening  a  reading-room,  a  tem- 
perance refreshment  house  and  a  place  of  prayer  for 
them. 

His  congregations  increased  in  size.  Of  the  one 
hundred  and  eight  British  and  eighty-five  American 
residents  in  port  a  large  percentage  attended  these 
services.  Notwithstanding  that  the  political  situation 
grew  alarming,  Mr.  Brown  pursued  his  work ;  while 
deceit  and  corruption  increased,  his  efforts  to  allevi- 
ate and  minister  to  the  suffering  ones  increased ;  in 
the  face  of  the  large  fleet  in  the  harbor,  the  fifteen 
hundred  men  armed  for  war  already  in  camp  and  the 
nine  vessels  with  added  troops  that  were  expected, 
Mr.  Brown  dauntlessly,  unflinchingly  pursued  his 
grand  work  among  the  beggars,  the  oppressed,  the 
outcasts,  the  diseased  and  the  fallen  ones. 

His  faith  was  not  shaken;  his  prayers  were  an- 
swered, for  the  old  order  of  discord  and  isolation 


256  Pioneer  Missionaries 

slowly  began  to  change  to  unity  and  close  nation- 
ality. 

In  1866  the  missionaries  rejoiced  that  they  could 
inform  the  world  that  one  hundred  men  of  the 
higher  class  in  Japan  were  to  be  taught  in  English. 
A  new  light  was  dawning.  Dr.  Hepburn's  Japa- 
nese-English dictionary  of  forty  thousand  words 
was  nearly  ready  for  publication.  During  the  same 
year  the  joyful  word  came  from  Yedo  that  Japa- 
nese youth  were  now  allowed  to  go  abroad.  Death 
would  not  now  be  the  punishment  to  such  as  should 
go  forth  into  other  lands.  The  following  year  New 
Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  and  Monson,  Mass.,  be- 
came centers  for  the  education  of  Japanese  in  Amer- 
ica. 

One  May  day  of  1867  Mr.  Brown  suffered  a  great 
personal  loss,  caused  by  a  most  disastrous  fire.  His 
home,  its  furnishings,  his  valuable  library,  his  price- 
less manuscripts,  which  were  the  result  of  long  years 
of  patient  research  and  exhausting  investigations, 
were  in  a  moment  swept  away  by  the  flames.  At  this 
time,  after  eight  years  of  unremitting  labor,  he  de- 
cided to  visit  America. 

On  his  homeward  voyage  he  reviewed  his  eight 
years'  work  in  Japan — thought  of  his  one  native 
who  had  accepted  Christianity.  Yano  Riw  had,  in 
October,  1864,  been  baptized,  this  being  the  first 
public  baptism  of  a  Japanese  in  his  native  land. 
Other  work  had  brought  good  and  far-reaching  re- 


Samuel   Rollins  Brown  257 

suits,  yet  this  ambitious  man  was  ever  striving  for 
higher  attainments  and  greater  work.  While  in 
the  United  States  his  ever-present  desire  was  to  re- 
turn to  Japan  and  get  the  Bible  translated  and  printed 
in  Japanese  as  soon  as  possible. 

In  1869  the  opportuinty  came  to  return  to  the  peo- 
ple he  loved.  He  accepted  a  call  to  become  princi- 
pal of  a  school  at  Niigata  at  a  salary  of  three  thou- 
sand dollars.  One  of  the  thirty-six  Buddhist  tem- 
ples had  been  secured  for  a  temporary  school  build- 
ing. The  devotion  of  his  pupils  was  touching.  One 
boy  walked  from  Yokohama,  a  distance  of  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty-four  miles,  to  be  with  his  old  be- 
loved teacher.  When  not  teaching,  Dr.  Brown  was 
deeply  interested  in  completing  his  standard  version 
of  the  New  Testament. 

In  1870  the  authorities  at  Yokohama  offered  to 
him  the  principalship  of  their  new  school.  Many  of 
his  pupils  followed  him  after  he  began  his  new  work. 
In  addition  to  the  daily  routine  of  multifarious  du- 
ties, he  complied  with  an  urgent  request  to  preach. 
With  devoted  zeal  and  fresh  energy  he  aimed  for  the 
consolidation  of  the  Union  Church.  His  influence 
was  wonderful  and  inspiring.  On  September  28, 
1872,  was  held  a  notable  convention  of  Protestant 
missionaries  in  Japan.  Dr.  Brown  was  the  leader 
in  the  plan  for  the  unity  of  Christian  work  in  Japan, 
for  he  ever  advocated  uniformity  in  modes  and  meth- 
ods of  evangelization.    Six  months  previous  to  this 


258  Pioneer  Missionaries 

convention  was  organized  the  first  native  Protestant 
Christian  church  in  Japan;  on  March  10,  1872,  nine 
young  men  were  baptized,  an  elder  and  deacon  or- 
dained, and  the  first  administration  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  in  Japanese  language  took  place  among  the 
twenty-four  members  of  the  little  church.  In  Tokio 
money  had  been  subscribed  to  build  the  Union 
Church,  and  in  July,  1872,  it  was  dedicated.  Dur- 
ing this  year  the  Gospel  according  to  Mark, 
in  Japanese,  was  ready  for  circulation.  An  event- 
ful year  it  was,  a  landmark  in  Japan's  Christian 
history. 

Dr.  Brown  was  a  pioneer  in  raising  up  a  native 
ministry,  for  in  1873  the  Japanese  empire  was  open 
to  the  religion  of  Christ,  and  at  once  plans  were  made 
for  training  classes  and  theological  schools.  In  order 
to  study  for  the  ministry  many  of  the  Japanese  young 
men  were  compelled  to  be  self-supporting.  So  great 
was  their  earnestness  and  determination  that  they 
became  night-watchmen,  gardeners,  doorkeepers — 
any  position,  no  matter  how  lowly,  was  accepted  by 
these  ambitious  youths. 

The  increasing  labors  of  organization,  the  con- 
stant teaching,  preaching,  ministering  and  the  ardu- 
ous work  of  translation  necessitated  a  rest,  and  in 
1879  a  final  return  to  America.  On  this  homeward 
voyage  the  veteran  missionary's  heart  was  filled  with 
emotion  and  gratitude.  For  thirteen  years  he  had 
toiled  at  the  unseen  foundation  work;  for  twenty 


Samuel   Rollins  Brown  259 

years  he  had  studied  the  language,  and  now  the  New 
Testament  was  finally  given  to  his  people  in  Japan- 
ese. His  pupils  had  grown  to  be  among  the  noblest 
men  both  in  China  and  Japan,  and  many  of  them 
scholarly  pastors.  With  keen  gratitude  he  recalled 
the  second  semi-annual  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  in 
Tokio  in  1878,  where  there  were  three  Japanese  act- 
ing pastors,  sixteen  missionaries,  four  evangelists, 
twelve  elders,  and  where  thirteen  bright,  promising 
men  were  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel,  six  of  whom 
were  his  pupils.  Now  it  was  not  a  crime  in  Japan 
to  be  a  Christian,  now  the  Gospel  was  free,  now  the 
churches  and  believers  were  no  longer  molested,  and 
the  thirteen  churches  with  their  eight  hundred  mem- 
bers were  a  grand  result  of  noble,  patient  work. 
Surely  his  work  had  grown  and  ripened.  Little  did 
he  think  that  in  1902  over  one  thousand  Chinese  stu- 
dents would  be  studying  in  the  United  States,  Japan 
and  Europe. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  death  of  this  grand 
pioneer,  on  June  20,  1880,  at  Monson,  Mass.,  two 
great  Eastern  nations,  as  well  as  our  own  country, 
lost  a  rare  benefactor,  an  exceptional  leader  and  a 
great  and  noble  man. 


REV.   JAMES   CHALMERS 

BORN  AUGUST  4,   184I. 
DIED  APRIL  8,  1 90 1. 

The  history  of  foreign  missions,  in  all  its  pages, 
offers  no  figure  of  a  man  who  can  be  more  truly  and 
aptly  called  a  pioneer  of  missions  than  James  Chal- 
mers. There  have  been  men  who  have  distinguished 
themselves  in  a  greater  degree  as  teachers,  men  who 
could  more  successfully  carry  on  work  once  started 
and  by  patient,  long-continued  effort  enlarge  and 
extend  that  work,  but  none  have  there  been  who  were 
more  enthusiastic,  more  untiring,  nor  more  success- 
ful in  preparing  the  way  by  opening  new  and  un- 
known fields  than  he. 

James  Chalmers  was  born  in  Ardreshaig,  Argyll- 
shire, Scotland,  August  4,  1841.  His  parents  were 
humble  people,  but  God-fearing,  with  ever  a  mind  to 
his  careful  up-bringing.  When  he  was  about  seven 
years  of  age  the  family  moved  to  denary,  near  In- 
verary.  Here  he  attended  school,  and  here  also  he 
first  came  under  the  influence  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Meikle, 
a  man  for  whom  he  always  afterward  held  the  high- 
est esteem,  who  was  pastor  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  whose  Sunday-school  he  joined. 

At  the  age  of  about  fourteen  he  entered  a  law 


James  Chalmers  261 

office  at  Inverary.  It  was  about  this  time  that  his 
first  great  interest  in  foreign  missions  was  aroused 
by  the  reading  in  Sunday-school  one  day  of  a  letter 
from  a  missionary  in  the  Fiji  Islands.  So  power- 
ful was  the  impression  made  upon  him  by  this  letter 
that  on  the  way  home  that  day  he  stopped  in  a 
lonely  spot  and,  dropping  on  his  knees,  prayed  that 
God  might  make  him  a  missionary  to  the  heathen, 

Chalmers'  interest  in  religious  matters  some  time 
after  this  underwent  a  change.  Repelled  by  the 
hard  and  stern  doctrines  preached  in  those  days,  un- 
able to  accept  the  idea  of  a  God  of  fear  instead  of  a 
God  of  love,  and  feeling  himself  not  in  sympathy 
with  the  beliefs  generally  taught  in  the  churches,  he 
for  a  time  gave  up  attending  church  at  all.  So 
changed  did  he  become  that,  having  fallen  into  bad 
company,  he  was  one  of  a  party  who  had  decided 
once  to  break  up  some  evangelistic  meetings  about 
to  be  held  in  Inverary.  Persuaded  by  a  friend,  how- 
ever, to  attend  a  meeting,  he  was  deeply  impressed, 
and  was  soon  converted  through  the  efforts  of  his 
old  pastor.  So  complete  was  his  conversion  that  he 
began  to  conduct  mission  services  himself.  With  a 
renewal  of  his  spiritual  life  there  came  an  awakening 
of  the  old  desire  to  be  a  missionary,  and  he  now,  un- 
der the  direction  of  Mr.  Meikle,  began  study  with 
that  end  in  view.  After  about  three  years  of  study, 
during  which  he  was  constantly  engaged  in  mission 
work,  he  was  accepted  as  a  candidate  by  the  London 


262  Pioneer  Missionaries 

Missionary  Society,  and  entered  Cheshunt  College 
when  about  twenty-one  to  prepare  for  the  foreign 
field. 

Chalmers'  life  in  college  was  a  hard  struggle  with 
poverty.  The  London  Missionary  Society  allowed 
their  students  less  money  for  the  course  than  was 
really  necessary,  and  he  Avas  often  hard  pushed  to 
make  both  ends  meet.  However,  his  monetary 
troubles  did  not  affect  his  cheery  disposition,  and  all 
of  his  college  friends  bear  witness  to  the  fact  that 
he  was  the  life  of  the  little  institution.  Of  an  ever- 
active  physical  make-up,  he  was  apt  to  take  more 
pleasure  out  of  a  college  prank  or  a  trip  on  the  New 
River  than  in  the  routine  of  the  class-room ;  yet  with 
all  his  love  of  sport,  he  possessed  a  Christian  earnest- 
ness which  never  failed  to  impress  all  those  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact. 

Leaving  Cheshunt  at  the  end  of  his  second  year 
there,  he  spent  a  year  in  the  institution  at  Highgate 
conducted  by  the  London  Missionary  Society  for  the 
completion  of  his  training.  In  1865  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Jane  Hercus,  a  young  lady  of  splendid  Chris- 
tian character,  who  proved  an  able  helpmate  to  him 
in  his  after  work.  A  few  months  afterward,  in  Jan- 
uary, 1866,  he  and  his  young  bride  set  sail  for  Rara- 
tonga,  an  island  in  the  Cook  group  in  Southern  Poly- 
nesia, which  had  been  settled  upon  as  the  field  of 
their  first  labors. 

That  first  voyage  was  as  full  of  incident  as  any 


James  Chalmers  263 

told  of  in  stories  of  adventure.  After  a  series  of 
mishaps  their  ship,  the  missionary  ship  John  Wil- 
Hams,  became  a  total  wreck  on  the  reef  at  Sav- 
age Island.  All  were  saved,  and  they  finally  arrived 
at  Raratonga  in  the  ship  of  the  piratical  Captain 
Hayes  one  year  and  four  months  after  leaving  Eng- 
land. It  is  interesting  to  note  the  fact  that  Hayes, 
a  notorious  desperado  of  the  South  Seas,  was  so  im- 
pressed by  Chalmers'  personality  that  he  extended 
every  courtesy  to  the  party,  and  was  moved  to  say  to 
him,  "If  only  you  were  near  me  I  should  certainly 
become  a  new  man  and  lead  a  different  life." 

The  native  Raratongan  who  carried  Chalmers 
ashore  from  the  ship's  boat  asked  him  his  name,  that 
he  might  call  it  out  to  those  gathered  there.  Being 
told,  he  called  out  "Tamate,"  and  as  Tamate  he  was 
afterward  known  through  the  South  Seas. 

Raratonga  is  the  largest  and  most  beautiful  island 
in  the  Cook  group.  Its  mountains,  rising  to  a  height 
of  three  thousand  feet,  are  surrounded  by  fertile  val- 
leys, clothed  with  a  growth  of  chestnut,  cocoanut, 
breadfruit  and  banana  trees.  The  blue  waves  of  the 
Pacific,  constantly  breaking  over  the  surrounding 
reef  and  rolling  in  to  its  sandy  shore,  add  to  the 
general  beauty  of  the  scene. 

Through  the  efforts  of  that  great  pioneer  John 
Williams,  who  went  there  in  1823,  and  of  Charles 
Pitman  and  Aaron  Buzacott,  who  followed  him,  the 
natives  had  been  raised  from  a  condition  of  fierce 


264  Pioneer  Missionaries 

savagery  to  a  state  of  semi-civilization.  They  were 
to  a  great  extent  law-abiding,  and  many  had 
been  converted  to  Christianity,  yet  there  remained 
a  vast  amount  of  work  to  be  done.  Savagery,  in- 
deed, had  been  stamped  out,  but  immorality  still  was 
rife. 

Though  his  desire  had  been,  and  still  was,  to  go  to 
an  absolutely  new  field,  to  work  among  people  still 
lost  in  the  black  depths  of  savagery,  and  though,  as 
he  said,  he  was  disappointed  to  find  the  Raratongans 
civilized  to  such  an  extent,  Chalmers  plunged  into 
his  work  here  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  his  nature 
and  soon  made  his  presence  felt. 

The  greatest  evil  on  the  island  was  drunkenness. 
The  use  of  native  orange  beer  and  of  spirits  brought 
there  by  unprincipled  traders  had  become  fearfully 
extensive.  Drink  finds  a  ready  and  a  rapid  victim  in 
the  savage,  and  Chalmers  might  well  speak  of  this 
as  the  curse  of  the  island.  Against  it  he  waged  a 
vehement  and  never-ending  warfare,  and  so  persist- 
ent and  energetic  were  his  efforts  that  in  1872  he 
was  able  to  write:  "Strong  drink  still  does  some 
harm,  yet  it  is  not  nearly  so  much  used  as  formerly. 
The  large  meetings  for  drinking  are  now  unknown. 
In  former  days  a  drinking  meeting  on  the  Sabbath 
would  frequently  number  as  many  as  four  hundred." 

Their  life  there  was  a  happy  one,  though  not  at  all 
devoid  of  hard  work.  Mrs.  Chalmers  engaged  in 
active   and    efficient   work,    conducting   classes   of 


James  Chalmers  265 

women  In  Bible  study,  arithmetic  and  sewing,  visit- 
in  the  people  in  their  homes,  and  in  all  things  prov- 
ing herself  to  be  what  Chalmers  called  her,  "a  whole- 
hearted missionary." 

Chalmers'  time  was  filled  up  by  his  classes  for  the 
training  of  native  teachers,  visits  to  the  dififerent 
stations  on  the  island  and  preaching,  drawing  about 
him  and  lifting  up  to  a  higher  life  a  constantly  in- 
creasing number  of  natives,  who  grew  to  love  their 
Tamate  with  a  love  which  ever  after  made  him  a 
cherished  figure  in  their  memories. 

But  during  all  the  years  at  Raratonga  he  was  look- 
ing forward,  almost  impatiently  at  times,  to  the  day 
when  he  might  strike  out  for  the  lands  where  heath- 
enism and  savagery  were  rampant,  to  take  the  Gospel 
of  Christ  to  those  who  had  never  heard  his  name 
and  who  knew  not  of  his  love  for  them.  New  Guinea 
had  long  been  the  field  he  had  looked  to.  New 
Guinea,  almost  unknown  save  for  a  strip  along  the 
coast,  a  coast  fringed  by  treacherous  reefs  over  which 
the  waves  of  a  tempestuous  sea  dashed  and 
which  seemed  to  forbid  any  attempt  to  reach  that 
shore,  a  land  steeped  in  cannibalism  and  unspeakable 
degradation,  that  was  the  land  to  which  he  had 
longed  to  go.  For  the  task  of  enlightening  its  gloom 
with  the  light  of  salvation,  he  considered  his  work 
at  Raratonga  but  as  a  course  of  preparation. 

Work  had  been  begun  there  by  native  teachers  in 
1872,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  G.  Laws  were  established 


266  Pioneer  Missionaries 

at  Port  Morsby  a  little  later,  but  it  was  not  until  1876 
that  the  London  Missionary  Society  decided  it  was 
wise  for  Chalmers  to  go.  In  May  of  the  following 
year,  amid  the  tears  of  the  simple  natives  and  fol- 
lowed by  the  prayers  of  scores  whom  they  had  taught 
to  pray,  he  and  his  wife  sailed  for  the  new  field. 

Far  different  from  the  law-abiding,  peaceful  peo- 
ple of  Raratonga  were  the  people  among  whom  they 
were  now  to  labor.  Physically  a  fine  race,  the  na- 
tives of  southeastern  New  Guinea  exhibited  a  few 
praiseworthy  traits  of  character.  Parents  seemed 
to  care  for  children  and  children  for  parents,  and 
they  were  not  addicted  to  drunkenness.  They  culti- 
vated the  soil,  and  some  of  them  even  cultivated  flow- 
ers. But  if  these  traits  indicated  that  they  possessed 
minds  capable  of  being  enlightened  by  the  Gospel 
and  natures  which  might  be  affected  by  its  teachings, 
there  were  others  which  might  well  discourage  any 
attempts  to  uplift  them.  Murder  was  as  common  as 
day,  the  taking  of  human  life  being  in  their  eyes 
a  praiseworthy  act.  Honesty  and  respect  for  an- 
other's property  were  unknown,  every  man  being  a 
liar  and  a  thief.  Their  religion  was  confined  to  a 
slavish  fear  of  evil  spirits  or  a  worship  of  spirits,  ac- 
companied by  indescribable  abominations.  The 
hideous  practice  of  cannibalism  was  prevalent  almost 
everywhere.  Such  were  the  people  to  whom  they 
came,  and  to  whose  enlightenment  they  now  pre- 
pared to  devote  their  lives. 


James  Chalmers  267 

Their  first  settlement  was  made  at  a  point  on  the 
bay  lying  between  South  Cape  and  Suan.  Having 
subdued  the  open  hostility  of  the  natives  by  exercis- 
ing that  wonderful  power  which  he  ever  possessed 
over  them,  Chalmers  soon  had  a  house  built  and 
started  in  to  make  some  impression  on  their  hearts. 
Though  efforts  toward  friendship  were  not  unavail- 
ing, the  work  of  conversion  was  yet  a  long  way  off. 
Chalmers  was  told  he  could  be  a  great  chief  among 
them  if  he  would  take  more  wives;  they  were  invited 
to  cannibal  feasts,  and  one  old  savage,  as  a  present, 
cooked  a  portion  of  a  human  being. 

These  evidences  of  friendship  were  interspersed  at 
times  by  hostile  attacks  by  some  of  them,  in  the  hope 
of  looting  their  goods,  but  these  attacks  soon  ceased 
and  Chalmers  gradually  gained  an  influence  over 
them  which  nothing  could  shake.  He  now  began  to 
make  visits  in  his  little  vessel  to  neighboring  tribes, 
and  wherever  he  went  he  seemed  to  impress  the  na- 
tives in  a  wonderful  degree  and  seldom  failed  to 
make  friends  of  them.  The  one  great  secret  of  his 
success  in  opening  new  fields  was  the  genius  he  dis- 
played in  at  once  disarming  the  suspicions  of  the 
people,  and  in  almost  immediately  gaining  their  con- 
fidence and  respect.  He  possessed  that  quality  of 
personal  magnetism  which  attracts  people  at  once, 
and  his  character  was  so  upright  and  open  that, 
having  gained  a  friend,  he  held  him.  This  was  true 
of  his  dealings  not  only  with  the  simple  savages  of 


268  Pioneer  Missionaries 

the  South  Seas,  but  also  with  all  with  whom  he  came 
in  contact. 

During  their  stay  at  Suan  teachers  kept  coming 
from  Raratonga,  and  many  stations  were  estab- 
lished along  the  coast.  Chalmers  would  first  visit 
a  point,  select  a  suitable  site,  gain  the  good-will  of 
the  natives,  arouse  their  interest  in  gaining  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  true  God,  and  then  establish  there  a 
teacher  to  carry  on  the  good  work  and  build  on  this 
foundation. 

It  is  not  within  the  scope  of  this  article  to  tell  of 
the  splendid,  self-sacrificing  labors  of  these  patient, 
hard-working  Raratongan  teachers.  Partaking  in 
a  measure  of  the  enthusiasm  and  earnestness  of  their 
leader,  often  giving  up  their  lives  as  martyrs  to  the 
cause,  they  offered  an  example  of  Christian  service 
in  the  early  evangelization  of  New  Guinea  which 
the  Christian  world  should  not  lightly  pass  over. 

At  the  end  of  two  years  the  work  at  Suan  was 
sufificiently  advanced  to  be  left  in  care  of  a  teacher. 
Chalmers  had  made  many  trips  along  the  coast,  had 
discovered  and  named  many  new  places  and  had 
established  a  number  of  stations.  Mrs.  Chalmers' 
health  had  been  poor  for  some  time,  and  she  had 
gone  to  Australia  for  change.  He  had  been  look- 
ing forward  to  a  visit  in  England  as  a  benefit  for  her 
and  for  himself,  and  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Thomas  Bes- 
wick  making  this  possible,  he  began  to  make  prepara- 
tions for  it.     But  ere  he  could  leave  he  received  the 


James  Chalmers  269 

crushing  news  of  his  wife's  death.  This  was  a  terri- 
ble blow  to  him.  Loving  her  dearly  and  having  in 
her  not  only  a  tender  companion  but  an  able  and 
fearless  helpmate  in  that  lonely  land,  her  loss  was 
indeed  a  great  one. 

He  now  gave  up  all  thought  of  returning  to  Eng- 
land, but  visited  Australia  for  a  time.  He  soon  was 
back  at  Port  Morsby,  where  was  to  be  established  a 
central  station.  One  of  his  most  important  trips 
was  taken  about  this  time — his  visit  to  the  natives  of 
Motumotu,  a  district  on  the  coast  some  distance  west 
of  Port  Morsby.  These  people,  especially  fierce  and 
bloodthirsty,  had  waged  a  continual  plundering  war- 
fare on  their  weaker  neighbors,  and  so  feared  were 
they  that  some  tried  to  dissuade  him  from  making 
any  attempt  to  visit  them.  Yet  he  went,  and  not 
only  was  he  received  among  them  as  a  friend,  but 
when  he  told  them  that  their  warfares  must  cease,  so 
great  was  his  power  over  them  that  they  promised 
to  obey  him,  though  it  meant  a  complete  change  in 
their  manner  of  living.    And  they  kept  their  promise. 

Chalmers  now  began  to  be  known  throughout  the 
whole  coast  of  southeastern  New  Guinea,  and  even 
among  tribes  who  had  never  seen  him  the  name  of 
"Tamate"  was  uttered  with  a  deep  feeling  of  respect. 

His  time  was  spent  in  constant  journeys  to  new 
fields  and  new  peoples.  On  these  trips  he  passed 
through  a  thousand  perils  from  the  ever-tempestuous 
waters  and  at  the  hands  of  fierce  savages,  yet  these 


270  Pioneer  Missionaries 

perils  and  escapes,  which  he  forgot  as  soon  as  over, 
he  referred  to  simply  as  "the  pepper  and  salt"  which 
gave  zest  to  his  further  and  greater  efforts.  Fa- 
tigue and  tropical  fever  w^ere  as  nothing  so  long  as 
there  remained  a  human  being  on  the  coast  who  had 
not  heard  the  name  of  Christ. 

In  1 88 1  Rev.  W.  G.  Laws  and  Mrs.  Laws  arrived 
at  Port  Morsby.  Mr.  Laws  had  spent  some  years 
there  previously,  but  had  been  on  leave  in  England. 
He  took  up  active  work  again,  and  henceforth  the 
two  men  worked  together.  Chalmers,  the  pioneer, 
discovering  and  opening  new  fields;  Laws,  the 
educator,  mastering  and  reducing  to  working  form 
the  languages  and  training  teachers  for  the  work  in 
those  fields. 

The  work  was  showing  results.  As  early  as  1882 
Chalmers  was  able  to  write,  after  making  a  trip  to 
his  old  station  at  Suan:  "For  over  two  years  there 
have  been  no  cannibal  ovens,  no  feasts,  no  human 
flesh,  no  desire  for  skulls.  Tribes  that  could  not 
formerly  meet  except  to  fight  now  meet  as  friends 
and  sit  down  side  by  side  in  the  same  house,  worship- 
ing the  true  God."  Well  might  he  forget  hard- 
ships and  be  spurred  on  to  further  efforts  when  he 
looked  on  that  picture  and  remembered  what  he  had 
seen  there  at  Suan  only  four  years  before. 

In  1883  steps  were  taken  toward  the  annexation 
of  southeastern  New  Guinea  to  the  British  Empire. 
In  April  of  that  year  the  British  flag  was  hoisted  at 


James  Chalmers  271 

Port  Morsby,  and  possession  taken  in  the  name  of 
the  Queensland  government. 

In  November,  1884,  Commodore  Erskine,  with  a 
squadron  of  five  vessels,  arrived  and  carried  out  the 
final  proclamation  of  the  protectorate.  In  these  cere- 
monies Mr.  Laws  and  Mr.  Chalmers  took  a  promi- 
nent part,  helping  to  gather  into  Port  Morsby  the  na- 
tive chiefs,  explaining  the  meaning  of  the  whole 
thing  to  them,  and  through  their  knowledge  of  the 
country  and  people  rendering  invaluable  aid.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1888,  southeastern  New  Guinea  was  formally 
annexed  and  made  a  separate  government,  Sir  Wil- 
liam MacGregor  being  appointed  administrator. 

At  last,  after  an  absence  of  twenty  years,  Chal- 
mers saw  the  way  clear  to  return  for  a  time  to  Eng- 
land, and  in  August,  1886,  he  arrived  in  London. 
His  time  while  home  was  filled  up  by  a  round  of 
speeches.  He  had  expressed  some  doubts  as  to  his 
ability  as  a  speaker,  but  he  had  underestimated  his 
own  power.  Everywhere  he  was  listened  to  with 
rapt  attention,  and  his  story  aroused  marked  enthu- 
siasm. Not  only  was  he  in  demand  for  missionary 
gatherings  everywhere,  but  he  was  called  upon  to 
address  the  Colonial  Institute  and  the  Royal  Geo- 
graphical Society,  his  knowledge  of  the  conditions  in 
New  Guinea  and  his  services  as  an  explorer  there  be- 
ing thus  recognized.  At  his  boyhood  home  he  was 
welcomed  by  the  whole  community,  the  Duke  of  Ar- 
gyle  and  the  Marquis  of  Lome  joining  them  with 


2/2 


Pioneer  Missionaries 


marked  honor,  and  in  Castle  Park,  at  the  request  of 
the  Duke,  he  planted  a  tree  near  one  planted  by  that 
other  great  pioneer,  Dr.  Livingston. 

In  June,  1887,  he  sailed  for  New  Guinea,  visiting 
on  the  way  Adelaide,  Melbourne  and  Sydney,  ad- 
dressing missionary  meetings  and  geographical  so- 
cieties, and  honored  by  invitations  from  many  of  the 
chief  dignitaries  of  those  cities.  In  September  he 
was  back  at  Port  Morsby.  Toward  the  close  of 
1888  Chalmers  was  married  at  Cooktown,  Queens- 
land, to  Mrs.  Harrison.  This  lady  had  been  a  girl- 
hood friend  of  his  first  wife  and  he  had  known  her 
well  in  his  earlier  years.  Her  husband  died  while 
he  was  in  England.  They  renewed  their  old  ac- 
quaintance at  that  time,  and  before  he  left  the  coun- 
try they  were  engaged.  She  was  an  excellent  Chris- 
tian woman,  and  entered  into  mission  work  with 
all  her  heart. 

Soon  they  were  established  at  Motumotu,  which 
place  Chalmers  had  decided  to  make  his  headquarters 
and  base  for  future  operations  to  the  westward. 
Here  in  a  rough  house,  surrounded  by  few  of  the 
comforts  she  had  been  accustomed  to,  in  the  midst 
of  a  savage  people,  his  noble  wife  took  up  her  work 
with  him.  After  accompanying  him  on  his  trips 
and  sharing  with  him  the  dangers  of  that  stormy 
sea,  more  often  left  alone  in  that  lonely  spot  with 
only  a  few  friendly  natives  by  her  side,  though  suf- 
fering   almost    constantly    from    fever,    she    never 


James  Chalmers  273 

wavered  in  her  devotion  to  her  work,  and  only  gave 
it  up  when  it  was  seen  that  she  must  have  a  change 
if  her  Hfe  was  to  be  saved. 

In  1890  it  was  decided  that  they  should  make  a 
tour  of  the  colonies  and  of  the  islands  to  the  east- 
ward, in  the  hope  that  not  only  would  Mrs.  Chal- 
mers' health  be  benefited,  but  that  a  new  interest 
might  be  aroused  in  the  work  in  New  Guinea.  They 
spent  some  time  in  Australia,  and  sailed  thence  to 
Samoa.  It  was  on  the  voyage  to  Samoa  that  Chal- 
mers met  Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  the  novelist,  and 
it  was  then  that  a  close  friendship  was  formed  that 
ended  only  with  the  latter' s  death. 

Stevenson  in  one  of  his  letters  speaks  of  him  as 
"the  man  I  love,"  and  on  many  occasions  pays  trib- 
ute to  his  splendid  character  in  glowing  terms.  It 
speaks  well  for  Chalmers'  power  of  impressing  peo- 
ple by  his  personality  that  this  man  of  letters,  up  to 
that  time  not  greatly  in  sympathy  with  missionary 
effort,  should  be  led  to  say  of  him,  "A  man  who 
took  me  fairly  by  storm  for  the  most  attractive, 
simple,  brave  and  interesting  man  in  the  whole  Pa- 
cific." 

Chalmers  aroused  great  interest  in  the  New  Gui- 
nea work  among  the  native  Samoan  Christians, 
and  many  teachers  afterward  went  from  there  to  join 
him  in  that  work. 

From  Samoa  they  went  to  Raratonga,  the  scene 
of  his  first  labors.      The  reception  he  received  here 


274  Pioneer  Missionaries 

must  have  touched  his  heart  to  the  very  depths.  The 
simple  people  seemed  beside  themselves  in  the  pleas- 
ure of  again  seeing  him,  and  with  tears  streaming 
down  their  faces,  in  the  excess  of  their  emotion,  they 
even  embraced  his  feet.  When,  with  that  genius  for 
remembering  names  and  faces  which  he  possessed,  he 
called  all  of  his  old  friends  by  name  their  joy  was 
only  increased. 

In  May,  1891,  they  were  back  at  Port  Morsby,  and 
soon  were  at  work  again  at  Motumotu.  The  Mis- 
sionary Society  had  decided  to  take  up  active  work 
in  the  Fly  River  district,  and  Chalmers'  efforts  from 
now  on  were  all  directed  to  that  end.  In  March, 
1892,  Mrs.  Chalmers,  whose  health  would  not  allow 
her  to  share  with  him  the  difficulties  of  the  rough 
work  he  was  to  undertake,  sailed  for  England.  Soon 
afterward  he  was  established  at  Saguane,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Fly  River. 

His  district  now  embraced  the  western  part  of 
the  south  coast,  and  the  islands  of  Torres  Straits  as 
far  as  Murray  Island.  With  his  accustomed  activ- 
ity, he  visited  the  stations  under  his  care  and  con- 
stantly explored  new  districts,  made  friends  with 
new  tribes,  established  new  stations.  He  wrote  at 
this  time,  "I  dearly  love  to  be  the  first  to  preach 
Christ  in  a  place." 

In  1894  he  left  for  England  to  take  part  in  the 
Centenary  celebrations  of  the  London  Missionary 
Society.      His  second  visit  was  a  repetition  of  his 


James  Chalmers  275 

first,  so  far  as  popular  interest  was  concerned.  In- 
deed, he  was  in  such  great  demand  as  a  speaker  that 
his  work  in  that  Hne,  together  with  the  severe  cH- 
mate,  for  which  his  years  in  the  South  Seas  had  un- 
fitted him,  caused  a  breakdown,  and  for  some  time 
he  was  seriously  ill. 

In  January,  1896,  he  was  back  in  Saguane  at  work 
again.  This  place  was  to  be  his  base  for  operations, 
not  only  along  the  coast,  but  up  the  Fly  River  into 
the  interior. 

Mrs.  Chalmers  joined  her  husband  there  in  1897 
and  resumed  her  work  of  teaching,  but  in  1899  her 
health  began  to  fail,  and  though  she  left  there  for  a 
time  to  recuperate  on  Thursday  Island,  upon  her  re- 
turn she  became  steadily  worse,  and  in  July,  1900, 
she  took  to  her  bed,  never  to  arise.  In  October,  Chal- 
mers took  her  on  board  his  little  vessel,  the  Nine, 
and  set  sail  for  the  island  of  Daru,  intending  to  get 
on  from  there  to  Thursday  Island  and  Sydney,  but 
when  they  reached  Daru  she  was  very  low,  and  the 
next  day  passed  away. 

Again  left  alone,  no  longer  in  the  vigor  of  his 
earlier  manhood,  suffering  almost  constantly  from 
fever,  it  is  not  strange  that  at  this  time  he  began  to 
have  thoughts  of  a  more  quiet  line  of  work.  The 
hardships  which  he  had  undergone,  the  exposures  to 
the  fury  of  the  sea  and  the  fatigue  of  long  tramps 
on  land,  which  he  had  been  wont  to  regard  so  lightly, 
while  they  had  not  affected  his  indomitable  spirit,  had 


276  Pioneer  Missionaries 

left  their  traces  on  his  body,  and  he  might  well  have 
rested  then.     Yet  he  went  on. 

Rev.  Oliver  C.  Tompkins  had  arrived  in  April, 
1900,  to  take  charge  of  the  Straits  Missions.  Mr. 
Tompkins  was  a  man  after  Chalmers'  own  heart, 
enthusiastic,  active  and  of  beautiful  faith. 

Chalmers  was  thus  left  free  to  devote  all  his  efforts 
to  the  work  in  the  Fly  River  district.  The  work  in 
that  district  had  been  full  of  discouragements.  The 
natives  were  in  many  respects  the  most  degraded  he 
had  yet  encountered,  and  it  was  long  before  any  im- 
pression had  been  made.  But  he  was  full  of  hope 
for  the  future,  and  planned  his  efforts  with  as 
much  enthusiasm  as  his  fever-racked  system  would 
allow. 

But  his  work  was  about  over.  On  April  3,  1901, 
Chalmers,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Tompkins,  sailed 
from  Daru  in  the  Nine,  bound  for  the  Fly  River. 
It  was  his  last  voyage.  They  decided  to  visit  the 
region  at  the  mouth  of  the  Aird  River  before  going 
to  Fly  River,  and  there,  off  Goaribari  Island,  they 
anchored  on  April  7.  The  natives  seemed  espe- 
cially hostile,  surrounding  the  vessel  in  their  canoes 
threateningly,  Chalmers  induced  them  to  with- 
draw, promising  to  visit  their  village  next  day. 

On  the  8th  he  and  Mr.  Tompkins,  with  some  of 
the  native  mission  boys,  entered  the  whale  boat  and 
saying  they  would  return  in  half  an  hour,  put  in  for 
the  shore.      The  boat  was  seen  to  land,  start  back 


James  Chalmers  277 

and  then  land  again.  That  was  the  last  ever  seen  of 
the  little  part}'.  The  Nine  lay  to  all  day,  and  next 
day  ran  along  the  coast  some  distance,  but  no  trace 
of  the  missing  ones  was  seen.  Then  the  crew  sailed 
back  to  Daru  to  report  the  terrible  loss. 

A  governmental  expedition  was  sent  out  in  early 
May  to  investigate  the  outrage  and  punish  the  per- 
petrators of  it.  It  was  learned  that  several  villages 
were  implicated,  and  the  dubus,  or  public  buildings, 
of  these  were  burned  and  their  war  canoes  destroyed. 
And  it  was  ascertained  that  the  party,  having  been 
lured  to  a  building,  were  there  struck  down  with 
clubs,  that  their  bodies  were  then  cut  up,  cooked  and 
eaten. 

And  so  died  Tamate  by  the  hand  of  the  degraded 
savage  for  whom  his  heart  yearned,  for  whose  sake 
he  had  braved  death  a  hundred  times  over  by  sea 
and  by  land,  for  whose  uplifting  the  gentle,  devoted 
wife  of  his  young  manhood  had  given  her  life,  and 
for  whose  enlightenment  the  noble  beloved  compan- 
ion of  his  later  years  had  sacrificed  hers — thus  he 
died. 

But  his  work  does  not  die  with  him.  That  work 
which  he  started,  and  to  which  he  devoted  his 
life,  goes  on.  The  seed  which  he  first  planted  has 
already  borne  fruit,  and  there  are  many  harvests  yet 
to  be  gathered.  Let  those  scores  of  villages  along 
that  stormy  shore,  once  the  scene  of  all  the  abomina- 
tions of  savagery,  now  purified  and  civilized,  be  his 


278  Pioneer  Missionaries 

monument.  Let  those  people,  now  raised  from  the 
depths  in  which  he  found  them,  and  who  now  wor- 
ship the  God  whom  he  taught  them  to  love,  raise 
up  their  voices  and  say  whether  Tamate's  work  was 
in  vain. 

The  remarkable  success  which  marked  Chalmers' 
labors  must  be  attributed  to  the  enthusiasm  he  felt 
for  his  work  and  his  boundless  faith  in  its  ultimate 
success.  Strong  physically,  he  allowed  no  obstacles 
to  dampen  that  enthusiasm,  no  danger  to  stand  in  his 
way,  and  no  disappointment,  no  discouragement 
could  shake  his  faith. 

He  loved  his  work  and  could  not  be  turned  from 
it.  Though  offered  governmental  position,  though 
urged  to  conduct  exploring  expeditions,  he  stuck  to 
his  mission  of  taking  the  Gospel  to  the  savage,  for 
in  that  his  heart  and  soul  were  wrapped  up.  Though 
a  man  of  beautiful  faith  and  a  man  who  believed  to 
the  full  in  the  power  of  prayer,  he  was  yet  a  man  of 
action.  Faith  without  action  had  no  part  in  his 
creed.  Regarding  a  report  that  during  the  wreck- 
ing of  the  Harriet  on  a  reef  near  Cooktown  he 
had  called  all  hands  aft  to  prayer,  he  wrote  to  a 
friend,  "Utterly  false.  I  believe  in  prayer,  have 
good  reason  to  believe  in  it,  but  to  call  all  hands  aft 
then  would  not  be  prayer,  but  simple,  stupid  fear. 
Everyone  on  board  was  engaged  getting  sails  in,  and 
afterward  heaving  on  the  hawser." 

He  was  eminently  a  practical  man.     He  had  little 


James  Chalmers  279 

patience  with  those  people  at  home  who  pictured  a 
missionary  as  a  man  in  a  frock-coat  reading  the 
Bible  to  a  crowd  of  natives  from  the  prow  of  a  row- 
boat.  His  ideas  were  sometimes  even  too  practical 
to  meet  the  approval  of  some,  such  as  his  defense  of 
the  use  of  tobacco  in  trading  and  his  theories  as  to 
the  amount  of  clothing  natives  should  wear,  but  his 
ideas  and  methods  were  those  of  a  man  of  common 
sense,  who  knew  whereof  he  spoke.  And  in  all  his 
labors,  amid  all  his  discouragements,  the  ideal  which 
guided  him  and  spurred  him  constantly  on,  the 
prayer  in  his  heart  was,  "The  world  for  Christ,  and 
for  that  let  us  strive." 


COLONEL  JEROME    D.    DAVIS,  D.D. 

Born  January  17,  1838. 

The  early  days  of  Jerome  Dean  Davis  were  spent 
at  a  pleasant  home  on  a  farm  at  Groton,  in  central 
New  York,  about  forty  miles  from  Syracuse.  Here 
under  the  kind  care  of  a  good  father  and  mother, 
with  plenty  of  wholesome  food,  sunshine  and  out- 
door exercise,  he  grew  to  be  a  sturdy,  bright  boy. 
At  the  age  of  eight  he  began  to  attend  the  district 
school  during  the  winter  months;  and  already  he 
was  able  to  make  himself  useful  by  assisting  in  the 
work  on  the  farm.  Many  were  the  homely  but  en- 
joyable recreations  of  that  generous  country  life, 
and  tenderly  were  they  looked  upon  in  after  years. 

The  spring  following  his  eighth  birthday  brought 
great  sorrow  to  the  household  in  the  death  of  his 
mother,  who  had  early  taught  him  to  pray.  The 
husband  and  children  felt  the  blow  bitterly.  Life 
for  the  family  had  run  quite  smoothly  so  far,  but 
now  trials  came  thick  and  fast  upon  them  all.  Je- 
rome was  fond  of  his  studies,  and  he  showed  a  great 
deal  of  courage  and  perseverance  in  mastering  vari- 
ous difficulties  which  blocked  his  way  to  a  thorough 
education.     There  were  very  few  books  obtainable, 


JEROME    D.    DAVIS 


Jerome  D.   Davis  281 

and  all  that  Jerome  found  in  this  line  was  in  the 
small  library  of  the  school.  This  meager  collection 
of  books  he  devoured  with  avidity.  Between  the 
years  of  eight  and  fifteen  his  time  was  equally  di- 
vided between  farm  work  and  brain  culture,  the 
latter  of  a  very  rudimentary  nature,  as  schools  were 
in  that  section  very  poor,  with  immature  teachers. 

During  this  period  he  became  convinced  of  his 
need  of  divine  help,  and  he  resolved  to  join  the 
Church,  a  determination  he  bravely  carried  out. 
One  Sunday  morning,  all  alone,  he  presented  him- 
self before  the  Church  for  this  purpose. 

Unfortunately  for  all  concerned,  his  father  mar- 
ried again,  and  the  consequences  proved  fatal  to  the 
peace  of  the  family.  Matters  came  to  such  a  crisis 
that  a  separation  was  determined  upon,  and  the 
farm  was  sold  and  the  father  started  for  Illinois  to 
make  a  new  home  at  Dundee.  Here  Jerome  began 
the  study  of  Latin  and  Greek,  and,  passing  an  ex- 
amination necessary  to  the  obtaining  of  a  district 
school,  he  entered  on  his  duties  as  a  schoolmaster, 
not,  however,  relishing  the  old-fashioned  system 
of  boarding  around. 

His  father  had  bought  a  small  house  at  Dundee, 
near  a  sister's  home,  and  Jerome  generously  aided 
him.  After  quite  a  period  of  school-teaching  he 
decided  to  enter  Lawrence  University,  a  small  col- 
lege at  Appleton,  Wis.  He  had  but  a  small  sum  of 
money  to   depend  upon.     Matters  were,   however, 


282  Pioneer  Missionaries 

made  a  little  easier  for  him  by  the  offer  of  a  scholar- 
ship, and  his  examinations  passed  off  satisfactorily 
with  the  exception  of  the  one  in  Greek. 

Part  of  the  time  he  boarded  with  the  minister  of 
the  Congregational  Church  in  the  place,  and  he  ad- 
vised yonng  Davis  to  go  to  Beloit  College,  as  the 
advantages  there  were  much  to  be  preferred.  Ac- 
cordingly, in  the  spring  of  i860  he  entered  the 
Freshman  class  at  Beloit.  But  college  days  were 
brief,  and  when  the  Civil  War  began,  Jerome  Davis, 
at  the  time  being  home  at  Dundee,  put  his  name 
down  on  the  list  of  the  first  volunteers  to  serve  for 
three  years.  He  belonged  to  Company  I,  Fifty-sec- 
ond Illinois,  and  his  first  experience  of  camp  life  at 
Geneva  was  not  a  very  agreeable  one.  At  the  out- 
set of  his  army  life  he  tried  to  do  good  by  distrib- 
uting a  number  of  Testaments  among  the  members 
of  his  company  and  circulating  the  temperance 
pledge.  The  regiment  was  ordered  to  St.  Joseph, 
Mo.,  and  the  uncomfortable  experiences  and 
sufferings  of  that  first  long  march  were  such  as 
could  never  be  forgotten  by  the  young  soldier.  At 
Pittsburg  Landing,  in  April,  1862,  fifty  thousand 
troops  were  massed  waiting  to  be  organized.  Prep- 
arations were  being  made  to  advance  upon  Corinth, 
Miss. 

Our  young  hero  had  fallen  sick  several  times,  but 
regained  strength  in  time  to  keep  with  his  company 
during  one  of  the  hottest  scenes  of  the  war.     He 


Jerome  D.   Davis  283 

was  appointed  color-bearer,  his  regiment  being 
a  central  one,  and  his  experiences  in  that  capacity 
were  thrilling  and  his  bravery  marked. 

At  the  battle  of  Shiloh  he  was  severely  wounded 
in  the  left  leg,  and  just  able  to  bind  up  the  wound 
himself,  he  came  very  near  being  left  to  die  on  the 
spot.  But  some  of  his  comrades  rushed  back  to  his 
assistance  and  carried  him  off  from  the  horrible  scene 
of  bloodshed.  After  weeks  of  illness  and  transpor- 
tation from  trains  to  steamers,  he  reached  his  home 
at  Dundee,  111.,  and  a  good  aunt  brought  him  safely 
through  this  crisis.  After  his  recovery  he  was  able 
to  visit  a  brother  at  Homer,  N.  Y.,  and  shortly  after 
learned  of  his  promotion  to  the  rank  of  second  lieu- 
tenant. He  rejoined  his  regiment  and  spent  the 
winter  at  Corinth,  living  in  small  log  houses  which 
the  soldiers  built  for  themselves. 

By  a  strange  chance,  Lieutenant  Davis  during  that 
winter  heard  a  lecture  on  Japan  given  by  a 
gentleman  who  had  been  a  missionary  many  years. 
During  this  period  he  visited  the  scene  of  his  first 
battle,  and  was  the  means  of  having  the  bodies  of 
those  of  his  friends  conveyed  to  their  sorrowing 
relatives.  In  the  early  part  of  the  summer  of  1863, 
Lieutenant  Davis  was  made  acting  assistant  in- 
spector-general on  General  Sweeny's  staff,  and  he 
was  finally  raised  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel. 
His  regiment  was  ordered  to  join  General  Sherman's 
army  at  Chattanooga,  and  they  continued  under  the 


284  Pioneer  Missionaries 

same  leader  to  fight  bravely  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  Strange  to  say,  not  a  man  was  killed  or 
wounded  in  the  company  or  regiment  when  it  was 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Davis.  His  military 
career  was  crowned  with  success  and  honor.  Now, 
the  war  being  over,  he  was  free  to  follow  the  course 
of  study  planned  so  long  ago.  He  returned  to  Be- 
loit  College,  took  two  years'  study  in  one,  and  grad- 
uated in  July,  1866.  Then  he  entered  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  Chicago. 

In  April  of  1867  he  applied  for  a  license  to 
preach;  it  was  granted,  and  he  went  to  work  in  a 
little  village  near  Dundee.  There  were  a  few  Con- 
gregationalists  there  who  held  services  in  a  hall,  and 
by  dint  of  hard  work  and  continual  visiting 
among  the  people  he  gained  an  audience  and  the 
prayer-meetings  filled  up.  Then  came  the  question 
of  raising  funds  for  a  church  building,  and  Mr.  Da- 
vis successfully  secured  $1,200  in  subscriptions  and 
a  grant  of  $500  more  from  the  Church  Building  So- 
ciety. After  this  good  summer's  work  he  returned 
to  the  seminary  and  completed  his  course.  He  re- 
ceived a  call  to  a  church  in  Illinois,  but  by  what 
seemed  at  the  time  an  unhappy  conjunction  of 
events  he  did  not  go  there,  but  eventually  settled  at 
Cheyenne,  Wyo.  Here  he  succeeded  in  raising 
money  to  build  a  church  and  secured  a  grant  of  land 
from  the  railroad  company  for  the  same,  and  also 
for    the    parsonage.      He    himself    furnished    the 


Jerome  D.   Davis  285 

money  for  the  latter  and  built  it  with  his  own 
hands. 

He  was  married  July  15,  1869,  to  Miss  Sophia  D. 
Strong,  and  before  the  parsonage  was  erected  she 
returned  with  Mr.  Davis  to  Cheyenne,  and  together 
they  suffered  and  labored  over  its  completion.  Mrs. 
Davis,  as  a  child  and  young  lady,  had  resided  in 
Dundee,  and  her  husband  had  been  acquainted  with 
her  from  her  school-days.  The  pluck  of  Mr.  Davis 
in  putting  up  his  house  alone  was  much  admired  by 
the  villagers,  and  when  Thanksgiving  came  they 
were  loaded  with  gifts  from  these  kind  friends.  The 
church  was  dedicated  and  $500  dollars  raised  to  fur- 
nish it,  and  the  work  continued  to  go  on  with  more 
or  less  success  for  two  years  and  a  half. 

Hopes  for  a  wider  field  of  work  were  beginning 
to  assert  themselves,  and  a  conviction  that  the  for- 
eign field  was  the  place  for  him  came  again  and 
again  to  Mr.  Davis. 

Several  foreign  missionaries  visited  the  parish 
and  were  entertained  at  the  parsonage,  among  oth- 
ers Dr.  L.  H.  Gulick  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snow.  One 
more  worker  was  needed  in  Japan,  and  toward  this 
field  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis'  attention  was  especially 
called.  Moreover,  one  sad  incident  took  place  that 
particularly  determined  Mr.  Davis  upon  going  to 
work  among  the  millions  who  were  in  the  depths  of 
spiritual  darkness.  A  poor  Indian  was  condemned 
to  death,  and  this  good  pastor  was  the  means  of  di- 


286  Pioneer  Missionaries 

recting  him  to  the  Saviour.  After  this  his  duty 
to  save  others  in  as  bad  a  condition  as  this  helpless 
soul  seemed  plainer  than  ever.  So  leaving  the  little 
home  and  the  people  who  had  become  very  dear  to 
them,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis  started  on  a  few  weeks 
of  recreative  travel  in  Colorado,  then  to  Dundee, 
111.,  and  from  there  on  to  the  meeting  of  the  Ameri- 
can Board  at  Salem,  Mass.  There  Mr.  Davis  first 
saw  Mr.  Neesima,  of  Japan,  who  came  to  him  and 
told  him  how  glad  he  was  to  meet  him  and  to  learn 
that  he  was  going  to  his  native  country. 

The  journey  to  San  Francisco  and  the  voyage 
from  there  to  Yokohama  seem  to  have  been  en- 
joyable to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis,  and  they  arrived  in 
Japan  in  1871.  Mr.  Davis  was  stationed  at  Kobe, 
and  here  he  lived  for  a  time.  Forty  days  after  their 
arrival  at  Kobe  a  little  daughter  came  into  the  home 
of  the  new  missionaries.  Great  difficulty  was  ex- 
perienced in  securing  a  teacher  of  the  Japanese  lan- 
guage, for  the  natives  were  afraid  to  be  seen  with 
Christians.  Mr.  Davis  greatly  enjoyed  a  visit  to 
Kyoto  to  view  the  exhibitions  of  the  beautiful 
handiwork  of  the  natives.  In  the  summer  the  little 
child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis  became  so  sick  that  a 
removal  was  necessary  for  a  time  to  a  picturesque 
village  called  Arima.  In  the  autumn  of  1872  a 
school  for  teaching  English  was  opened  in  Kobe 
and  was  prosperous,  almost  one  hundred  pupils 
being    in    attendance.      Christianity    could    not    be 


Jerome  D.   Davis  287 

taught  openly,  for  edicts  against  it  were  posted 
everywhere.  There  was  httle  or  no  Hterature  to 
help  one  learning  the  language,  and  after  Mr.  Davis 
could  write  broken  Japanese  he  got  out,  with  help 
of  others,  a  tract  of  which  100,000  copies  were  cir- 
culated. 

At  Sanda,  Mr.  Davis  had  an  interesting  class  of 
young  men  to  whom  he  preached.  In  three  places, 
Kobe,  Sanda  and  Osaka,  churches  were  organized. 
In  the  summer  of  1875  great  efforts  were  being 
made  by  Mr.  Neesima  to  open  a  school  in  Kyoto, 
and  finally  permission  was  granted  to  Mr.  Davis 
to  live  in  that  city  and  work  in  unison  with  the 
founder  of  the  school.  Immediately  the  Buddhist 
priests  sent  an  appeal  to  the  Governor  to  have  the 
missionaries  expelled.  Finally  the  Governor  gave 
permission  to  them  to  teach  Christianity  in  the 
school  under  the  head  of  moral  science.  Previously 
the  consent  of  the  head  of  the  Department  of  Educa- 
tion had  been  obtained  to  open  a  Christian  school  in 
Kyoto,  and  the  institution  was  opened  in  Novem- 
ber, 1874,  in  Mr.  Neesima's  house.  Commencing 
with  a  few  pupils,  it  Soon  increased  to  nearly  forty 
scholars.  A  piece  of  land  was  bought  for  a  small 
sum  on  which  to  locate  the  new  school  buildings, 
which  were  dedicated  September  18,  1875.  Drs. 
Taylor  and  Learned  came  to  teach  in  the  school,  so 
those  who  had  borne  the  burden  and  heat  of  the 
day  were  effectually  sustained  and  enabled  to  over- 


288  Pioneer  Missionaries 

come  all  obstacles  until  a  dozen  fine  college  build- 
ings were  erected.  These  stand  as  a  monument  to 
the  life-work  of  Mr.  Neesima  and  his  associates.  A 
school  for  girls  was  successfully  started  and  carried 
on.  In  the  summer  of  '76,  Mr.  Davis  and  family 
and  some  others  pitched  their  tents  on  Mt.  Hiyet, 
having  received  permission  from  the  Foreign  De- 
partment at  Tokio  to  spend  three  months  there. 
The  Buddhists  had  temples  on  this  mountain,  and 
the  priests  came  and  ordered  the  newcomers  to  with- 
draw. By  moving  their  tents  back  from  the  sacred 
ground  they  were  able  to  spend  the  summer  in  rest 
and  peace. 

In  1878  Dr.  Taylor  was  obliged  to  leave  Kyoto 
because  refused  permission  to  practice  medicine.  He 
removed  to  Osaka.  Mr.  Davis,  in  1877,  had  a  hard 
time  in  finding  a  new  house  for  his  family,  and  at 
last  decided  to  build,  although  he  could  command 
only  $75.  He  secured  a  lot  and  a  house  was 
erected,  and  in  this  home  many  large  and  encourag- 
ing meetings  were  held. 

In  June,  1879,  the  heart  of  Mr.  Davis  was  cheered 
by  seeing  fifteen  graduate  from  the  Theological  De- 
partment of  the  college.  One  great  question  was, 
how  to  set  these  young  men  to  work  without  more 
money.  Finally  the  American  Board  appointed  the 
missionaries  on  the  ground  as  a  committee  of  five 
to  manage  evangelistic  work,  and  a  sum  of  $2,000 
to  carry  it  on  with  was  forwarded.      Previous  to 


Jerome  D.   Davis  289 

this  three  churches  had  been  organized  in  Kyoto, 
and  shortly  there  were  almost  fifty  places  in  and 
about  the  city  where  Christianity  was  taught. 
Work  went  on  successfully  in  the  college,  and  a  lit- 
tle church  was  built  on  the  grounds  of  Mr.  Nee- 
sima's  house.  The  New  Testament  was  put  into 
Japanese,  a  weekly  paper  started  in  Kobe  and  tracts 
and  books  prepared. 

Mr.  Davis  was  overworking,  so  a  trip  to  China, 
and  later  one  through  parts  of  Japan,  were  the 
means  of  helping  him  through  a  critical  time.  On 
the  trip  in  Japan,  Mr.  Davis  took  the  addresses  of 
booksellers  and  teachers  in  common  schools,  and  on 
his  return  sent  out  packages  of  books,  tracts  and  a 
copy  of  one  of  the  Gospels  to  each  of  these  individ- 
uals. His  health  did  not  improve,  so  an  entire 
change  of  scene  was  decided  upon,  and  with  his 
family  he  started  for  America  by  way  of  Europe. 
They  spent  some  delightful  months  in  Italy,  Switz- 
erland and  Germany,  and  then  went  on  to  England. 
Coming  to  this  country,  Mr.  Davis  consulted  physi- 
cians, and  found  he  needed  complete  rest  more  than 
medicine. 

He  was  invited  to  visit  Beloit  College,  at  which 
time  Mr.  Davis  received  the  degree  of  D.D.  Later 
he  attended  the  Board  at  Portland,  Me.,  and  made 
an  effective  speech  upon  the  work  in  Japan  and 
some  of  the  pressing  needs  incident  to  that  work, 
closing  with  an  appeal  for  aid.     Dr.  Davis  returned 


290  Pioneer  Missionaries 

later  to  Japan  to  continue  the  great  work  there  so 
successfully  begun. 

This  heroic  missionary  met  with  the  great  sor- 
row of  his  life  in  the  death  of  his  beloved  wife  on 
April  6,  1886.  This  sorrow  was  soon  followed  by 
the  death  of  Joseph  Neesima,  LL.D.,  in  1890.  But 
the  grand  work  which  he  was  the  means  of  estab- 
lishing was  bravely  carried  forward  by  Dr.  Davis 
and  his  associates. 

Some  years  later,  when  a  liberal  element  among 
the  natives  came  very  near  wrecking  the  institution, 
succeeding  for  a  time  in  driving  out  the  Christian 
teachers,  the  great  college  was  brought  back  after 
much  toil  and  prayer  by  a  few  brave  men,  among 
them  none  were  more  prominent  than  the  soldier 
who  bravely  carried  the  flag  of  his  country  at  Shiloh. 

In  July,  1888,  Dr.  Davis  married  a  missionary  in 
Kyoto,  Japan,  Miss  Frances  Hooper,  who  has  con- 
tinued to  labor  faithfully  by  his  side  to  the  present 
time. 

Dr.  Davis,  in  addition  to  his  work  as  a  teacher 
of  theology,  his  many  tours  as  an  evangelist  and  his 
work  as  an  administrator,  has  found  time  to  write 
several  volumes,  his  best-known  book  being  the 
life  of  Joseph  Neesima,  which  has  been  printed  both 
in  Japan  and  America. 

When  all  the  Protestant  missionaries  in  Japan 
held  their  great  conference  in  Tokio  in  October, 
1900,  Dr.  Davis  was  honored  by  being  elected  pres- 


Jerome  D.   Davis  291 

ident.  We  cannot  more  fitly  close  this  brief 
sketch  than  by  quoting  a  few  words  from  his  ad- 
dress on  this  occasion : 

"We  have  a  message  to  this  nation — because 
Japan  has  made  no  effort  to  supply  the  moral  needs 
of  the  people,  we  should  help  this  people  to  realize 
that  the  living  God  is  the  only  true  basis  of  moral- 
ity. We  have  a  very  important  message  to  Japan 
in  helping  her  to  realize  that  moral  culture  is  an  im- 
portant part  of  education;  that  heart  culture  and 
head  culture  should  go  on  together.  This  nation 
needs  to  realize  that  the  secret  of  the  greatness  of 
England  and  America  is  the  fact  that  intellectual 
and  moral  training  have  gone  hand  in  hand.  .  .  . 
But  still  further,  we  need  to  help  the  Church  in  Japan 
to  stand  firm  and  make  no  compromise  in  regard  to 
the  true  divinity  of  Christ." 


S.    WELLS    WILLIAMS,    LL.D. 

Born  September  22,  1812. 
Died    February    16,  1884. 

Samuel  Wells  Williams,  the  eldest  of  fourteen 
children,  was  born  in  Utica,  N,  Y.,  September  22, 
18 1 2.  His  father,  William  Williams,  was  of  New 
England  stock  and  was  prominent  in  the  early  his- 
tory of  that  town,  being  editor  of  its  leading  paper 
and  one  of  the  foremost  in  every  movement  tending 
toward  the  welfare  of  the  place.  His  mother,  a 
noble  Christian  woman,  was  a  model  of  what  a 
mother  should  be.  She  was  keenly  interested  in  the 
cause  of  missions,  and  it  is  told  of  her  that  on  one 
occasion,  after  hearing  an  appeal  for  that  cause  and 
having  no  money  with  her  to  contribute,  she  wrote : 
"I  give  two  of  my  sons."  And  well  was  her  prom- 
ise fulfilled  by  two  of  her  sons  making  their  life- 
work  the  uplifting  of  the  heathen. 

As  a  boy  Wells  was  somewhat  serious  and  of  a 
studious  turn  of  mind,  though  not  lacking  entirely 
in  boyish  spirits.  This  was  probably  due  to  the 
influence  of  his  mother,  who  brought  her  children 
up  in  habits  of  industry,  which  kept  them  almost 
constantly  occupied  in  useful  ways.      He  received 


rhiL  f^dii 


'  C  "LVt-  Cc^^v^) 


S.  Wells  Williams  293 

his  early  schooling  in  different  institutions  in  Utica, 
and  when  about  nineteen  entered  Rensselaer  Insti- 
tute at  Troy,  then  in  its  infancy.  His  favorite  study 
was  botany.  He  had  been  there  but  a  few  months, 
however,  when  the  way  was  opened  for  him  to  go 
to  China. 

The  American  Board  had  recently  opened  a  mis- 
sion there,  and  William  Williams  was  asked  to 
find  a  young  man  fitted  to  undertake  the  work  of 
conducting  its  printing  office.  He  named  his  son, 
Wells,  and  he,  after  meditation  and  prayer,  accepted 
the  charge.  He  had  gained  some  experience  al- 
ready in  his  father's  office  in  the  practical  art  of 
printing.  He  now  entered  it  again  to  perfect  him- 
self, so  far  as  possible,  and  in  April,  1833,  after  ap- 
plying himself  with  all  his  energy  to  that  end, 
was  ready  to  go.  June  15  he  embarked  in  the 
Morrison,  owned  by  that  Christian  merchant,  Mr. 
Oliphant,  and  October  15  anchored  off  Canton. 

The  attitude  of  the  Chinese  at  that  time  toward 
foreigners  was  such  that  a  young  man  full  of  the 
enthusiasm  of  youth  for  the  work  before  him  might 
well  feel  discouraged.  Foreigners  were  restricted 
to  a  certain  space  without  the  city  wall,  and  no  Chi- 
nese would  hold  any  intercourse  with  them  beyond 
the  demands  of  trade.  In  a  letter  written  after- 
ward Mr.  Williams  said:  "At  the  date  of  my  ar- 
rival missions  in  China  were  regarded  as  directed 
more   to   the   foreigners   living   in   it  than   to   the 


294  Pioneer  Missionaries 

natives,  which  latter  were  to  be  influenced  by  the 
way,  as  chances  offered."  In  the  same  letter  he 
speaks  of  meeting  the  only  convert  secured  up  to 
that  time,  saying :  "Yet  the  work  never  looked  oth- 
erwise than  hopeful  to  me,  and  this  small  beginning 
produced  no  discouragement  upon  my  mind;  it 
seems  now  sometimes  as  if  it  ought  to  have  done 
so." 

Welcomed  by  the  noble  Dr.  Morrison,  and  by  Dr. 
Bridgman,  who  had  preceded  him  by  three  years, 
he  at  once  took  charge  of  the  printing  office  and  be- 
gan his  grand  career  of  usefulness. 

His  first  years  were  spent  in  mastering  the 
language,  in  contributing  to  and  printing  the  "Chi- 
nese Repository,"  a  publication  intended  to  make 
China  better  known,  and  in  learning  the  habits  and 
characteristics  of  the  people  he  was  to  benefit.  His 
keen  mind  was  quick  to  comprehend  the  intricacies 
of  that  language,  which  is  so  difficult  of  mastery 
that  it  has  been  termed  "an  invention  of  the  devil 
to  discourage  missionary  work,"  and  he  was  soon 
able  to  give  valuable  aid  in  revising  and  compiling 
the  different  works  issued  by  the  mission.  So  great 
was  the  native  opposition  to  the  work  that  the  office 
was  for  a  period  moved  to  the  Portuguese  settlement 
at  Macao. 

An  interesting  incident  of  these  early  years  was  a 
trip  which  he  made  with  others  in  the  Morrison 
to  Japan  for  the  purpose  of  returning  to  their  homes 


S.  Wells  Williams  295 

seven  shipwrecked  Japanese  sailors,  and  at  the  same 
time  of  attempting  to  open  up  some  intercourse 
with  that  nation.  Unsuccessful  in  both  objects, 
their  ship  having  been  fired  upon  at  the  two  ports 
visited,  they  were  forced  to  return  disappointed. 
Mr.  Williams  now  took  up  the  study  of  the  Japanese 
language  and  accomplished  the  conversion  of  two 
Japanese  sailors,  thus  preparing  himself  for  another 
line  of  usefulness  and  sowing  a  seed  which  was  to 
bring  forth  a  harvest  later. 

These  early  years  of  his  life  were  memorable  ones 
in  the  history  of  China.  With  each  aggressive  act 
of  the  European  Powers  the  day  drew  nearer  which 
was  to  witness  the  final  breaking  down  of  Chinese 
intolerance  of  the  "Foreign  Devil."  In  those  events 
he  was  not  an  interested  spectator  only,  but  an  active 
participant.  The  treaty  of  Nanking,  signed  in 
1842,  gave  the  island  of  Hong  Kong  to  England  and 
extended  to  foreigners  the  right  of  residence  at  five 
ports.  The  result  was  an  influx  of  missionaries  and 
others,  and  at  this  opportune  time  the  "Easy  Les- 
sons in  Chinese,"  which  he  had  compiled,  was  is- 
sued. In  1844  he  brought  out  his  "English  and 
Chinese  Vocabulary"  and  "A  Chinese  Commercial 
Guide,"  the  latter  a  revision  of  a  work  by  Dr.  Mor- 
rison. These  works  were  invaluable  in  gaining  ac- 
cess to  the  natives. 

In  1844,  Mr.  Williams  made  a  visit  to  this  coun- 
try.   While  here  he  published  that  great  work  which 


296  Pioneer  Missionaries 

to  this  day  stands  as  a  monument  of  his  genius,  and 
is,  perhaps,  with  later  corrections,  unequaled  as  a 
study  of  China  and  her  people,  ''The  Middle  King- 
dom." This  book,  with  his  other  printed  articles 
and  his  lectures,  gave  him  the  standing  of  an  au- 
thority, and  it  was  natural  that  later  his  services 
should  be  sought  by  our  government  in  its  diplo- 
matic relations  with  China. 

It  was  during  that  visit  to  this  country,  too,  that 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Walworth,  of  Platts- 
burg.  In  September,  1848,  with  his  bride,  he  was 
in  China  again. 

The  year  1853  saw  Japan,  the  "Hermit  Nation," 
open  her  ports  to  the  ships  of  Commodore  Perry. 
It  was  then  that  Mr.  Williams  entered  upon  a  new 
line  of  work.  Arriving  in  Hong  Kong  in  April  of 
that  year.  Commodore  Perry  sought  his  services  as 
interpreter  to  the  expedition,  and  Mr.  Williams  ac- 
cepted the  post.  He  was  valuable,  too,  in  other 
ways  than  as  interpreter.  Botany  was  always  his 
favorite  study,  and  he  made  valuable  collections  of 
Japanese  fauna  and  also  of  minerals,  with  notes  on 
the  same.  The  success  of  the  expedition  is  a  matter 
of  history.  To  Mr.  Williams,  remembering  his  first 
trip  there  ten  years  before,  it  must  have  been  a 
double  pleasure  to  witness  that  success. 

This  expedition  marks  the  beginning  of  a  new 
phase  of  Mr.  Williams'  life  in  China,  for  so  favor- 
able was  the  impression  made  by  his  services  and  his 


S.  Wells  Williams  297 

abilities  that  in  1855  he  was,  largely  as  a  result  of 
Commodore  Perry's  strong  recommendation,  ap- 
pointed Secretary  and  Interpreter  to  the  American 
Legation  in  China.  He  hesitated  at  accepting  this 
post,  being  loath  to  give  up  active  missionary  work, 
and  only  accepted  provisionally,  there  having  been 
some  discussion  by  the  American  Board  as  to  the 
advisability  of  giving  up  the  printing  office.  In  1857 
the  office  was  destroyed,  along  with  other  foreign 
buildings,  by  the  natives,  and  this  decided  him. 
Henceforth  his  work  was  in  the  diplomatic  service. 
In  entering  it,  he  never  for  a  moment  considered  that 
he  was  giving  up  mission  work,  but  hoped  rather  to 
be  placing  himself  in  a  position  to  do  even  more  for 
that  cause. 

In  the  negotiations  of  1858,  following  the  fall  of 
the  Taku  forts  and  the  advance  of  the  Powers  to 
Tientsin,  Mr.  Williams  took  an  active  part,  and 
having  in  his  heart  the  Great  Cause,  was  instru- 
mental in  having  inserted  in  the  treaty  the  clause 
granting  the  practice  of  Christianity.  The  follow- 
ing 3^ear  he  accompanied  the  American  envoy,  John 
E.  Ward,  to  Peking,  and  shortly  after  the  return  of 
that  legation  to  Shanghai  took  leave  of  absence 
and  visited  the  United  States  again.  While  here 
the  Civil  War  broke  out,  and,  showing  that  his  in- 
terest in  the  welfare  of  his  own  country  had  not 
suffered  by  his  years  of  absence,  he  seriously  con- 
sidered joining  the  army  in  some  capacity.     But 


298  Pioneer  Missionaries 

his  work  was  in  China,  and  in  1861  he  was  back 
again. 

The  fall  of  Peking  before  the  guns  of  the  English 
and  French  opened  that  capital  to  foreign  legations, 
and  in  1862,  with  Anson  Burlingame,  now  Minis- 
ter, Mr.  Williams  came  there.  In  the  ensuing  years 
he  became  invaluable  to  his  legation,  and  at  the  same 
time  was  of  the  greatest  help  to  the  missionaries  who 
were  establishing  themselves  in  the  country. 

In  1868,  Mr.  Burlingame  resigned  to  become 
chief  envoy  in  that  mission  which  bears  his  name, 
and  J,  Ross  Browne,  who  succeeded  him,  remained 
but  a  year.  Mr.  Williams'  name  was  repeatedly 
mentioned  as  the  one  fittest  to  stand  at  the  head 
of  the  legation.  Secretary  Seward  is  reported  to 
have  said  of  him  that  he  was  "altogether  too  good 
a  man,  too  highly  endowed  and  in  all  respects  too 
unexceptional  to  receive  the  appointment."  In  a 
letter  written  at  this  time  Mr.  Williams  says: 
"Whether  or  no  I  should  have  taken  the  post  as 
Minister  to  China  or  from  China  is  a  question  I  am 
never  likely  to  be  called  upon  to  answer  practically, 
and  its  hypothetical  answer  comes  to  nothing.  I  de- 
sire chiefly  to  do  daily  the  things  I  am  called  on  to 
do  and  let  the  others  wait  till  they  come  up," 

In  1874,  the  dictionary,  the  result  of  almost  con- 
stant labor  through  eleven  years,  was  issued.  This 
was  considered  an  event  in  China,  It  was  com- 
mended wherever  its  value  could  be  appreciated,  and 


S.  Wells  Williams  299 

was  indeed,  as  Dr.  Blodget  says,  "a  treasury  of 
knowledge." 

Failing  eyesight  led  him  in  1876  to  tender  his  res- 
ignation. In  acknowledging  its  receipt,  Hamilton 
Fish  wrote:  "I  feel  that  the  service  is  losing  one  of 
its  most  trusted  officers,  one  whose  name  and  repu- 
tation have  ever  reflected  credit  upon  the  position 
and  the  country,  whose  officer  he  was,  and  whose 
high  personal  character  will  long  be  remembered 
with  respect  and  with  admiration."  His  notifica- 
tion of  release  from  the  State  Department  contains, 
among  other  notable  words  of  praise,  the  following : 
"Above  all,  the  Christian  world  will  not  forget  that 
to  you,  more  than  to  any  other  man,  is  due  the  inser- 
tion in  our  treaty  with  China  of  the  liberal  provision 
for  the  toleration  of  the  Christian  religion." 

October  25,  1876,  exactly  forty-three  years  after 
the  day  he  landed  at  Canton,  he  left  Peking  for  the 
last  time,  regretted  by  those  in  the  diplomatic  no  less 
than  by  those  in  the  missionary  circle. 

He  settled  at  New  Haven,  Conn.,  where  he  imme- 
diately took  his  natural  place  in  the  intellectual  life 
of  that  university  town.  A  chair  of  Chinese  Lan- 
guage and  Literature  was  shortly  afterward  estab- 
lished at  Yale,  which  was  offered  to  him,  and  though 
his  duties  in  that  position  consisted  only  in 
delivering  occasional  lectures,  he  made  his  influence 
felt  throughout  the  LTniversity.  He  made  numer- 
ous contributions  to  current  publications,  not  only 


300  Pioneer  Missionaries 

on  Asiatic  subjects,  but  on  other  questions  of  public 
interest.  In  these  closing  years  of  his  life,  years  sad- 
dened by  the  death  of  his  beloved  wife  in  1881,  he 
was  occupied,  too,  in  revising  his  "Middle  King- 
dom," a  work  which  he  managed  to  complete  only 
a  few  months  before  his  death. 

Not  the  least  of  the  honors  w^liich  came  to  Dr. 
Williams  after  his  retirement  from  China  was  his 
election  to  the  presidency  of  the  American  Bible  So- 
ciety, a  position  most  congenial  to  his  tastes,  and 
one  which  he  filled  with  great  acceptance.  A  fine 
portrait  of  him  hangs  on  the  walls  of  the  manager's 
room  in  the  Bible  House,  New  York. 

His  health  began  to  fail  two  years  before  his 
death,  and  though  at  times  able  to  work  with  some 
of  his  old  vigor,  he  realized  calmly  that  his  end  was 
near.  He  was  troubled  with  anaemia,  and  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1884,  he  became  so  weak  that  it  was  plain  he 
had  but  a  little  while  to  stay.  Patiently  he  waited 
the  end,  and  on  February  16  he  quietly  passed  away. 

His  is  a  name  that  will  live  not  only  in  the  his- 
tory of  missions  in  China,  but  also  in  its  diplomatic 
history.  Possessing  a  keen  intellect,  which  made  it 
possible  for  him  to  accomplish  great  things,  a 
steady,  persevering  nature  to  carry  out  his  plans, 
he  was  also  a  practical  man.  But  above  all  to  be 
admired  was  his  Christian  manhood,  which  led  him 
at  all  times  to  direct  his  talents  and  his  energies  to 
the  highest  object  and  the  noblest  end — the  upbuild- 
ing of  the  Kingdom  of  his  Master. 


KI.IAS    KIIJO.S 


ELIAS    RIGGS,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Born  November  19,  1810. 
Died    January     17,  1901. 

"It  is  an  unspeakable  blessing  to  have  been  born 
of  pious  parents,  a  blessing  still  enhanced  if  their 
ancestors  for  generations  have  been  of  the  same 
character.  This  privilege  was  mine."  Thus  spoke 
Elias  Riggs,  who  was  born  November  19,  18 10,  at 
New  Providence,  N.  J.  His  ancestors  were  among 
the  earliest  settlers  in  the  State,  and  his  father  was 
pastor  of  a  church  in  that  town. 

It  was  from  his  father,  a  man  of  scholarly  tastes, 
that  he  received  his  first  instruction,  and  at  a  very 
early  age  he  gave  indication  of  wonderful  linguistic 
abilities.  When  nine  years  of  age  he  began  the 
study  of  Greek,  at  fourteen  he  had  taken  up  He- 
brew, a  year  afterward,  at  fifteen,  he  entered  Am- 
herst College,  becoming  a  member  of  the  first  class 
that  entered  after  the  college  charter  had  been  ob- 
tained. 

During  his  college  course  he  applied  himself,  in 
addition  to  the  regular  studies,  to  the  mastery  of 
Hebrew,  Syriac,  Arabic,  Chaldea  and  Modern 
Greek,  and  produced  an  Arabic  grammar  and  Chal- 
dea manual. 


302  Pioneer  Missionaries 

He  continued  his  course  at  Andover  Theological 
Seminary,  and  while  completing  his  last  year  there 
was  invited  by  the  American  Board  to  join  its  mis- 
sion in  Greece.  After  some  hesitation,  owing  to 
his  youth — he  was  but  twenty-two — he  accepted  the 
call,  and  September  20,  1832,  he  was  ordained. 
Two  days  previous  to  his  ordination  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Martha  J.  Dalzell,  of  Mendham,  N.  J., 
his  able  and  devoted  helpmate  through  fifty-five 
years  of  Christian  service.  October  30,  1832,  they 
embarked  at  Boston  in  a  little  180-ton  brig,  and 
three  months  afterward  joined  Rev.  Jonas  King  at 
Athens. 

For  six  years  he  labored  in  Greece,  largely  along 
the  line  of  educational  work.  He  established  a 
school  for  girls  at  Argos  which  was  successful,  but 
governmental  restrictions  made  it  advisable  to  give 
up  work  in  that  country,  and  in  1844  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Smyrna,  Turkey,  where  he  continued  his 
work  among  the  Greeks  settled  in  that  city. 

In  1844  he  was  assigned  to  the  Armenian  branch 
of  the  Smyrna  Mission,  his  principal  service  being 
the  great  work  of  translating  the  Scriptures  into  Ar- 
menian. This  occupied  the  greater  part  of  his  time 
and  energy  from  1845  to  1852.  Of  this  translation 
a  native  Armenian,  a  member  of  the  Gregorian 
Church,  and  a  man  of  some  literary  note  among  his 
people,  Mr.  L.  Zartoumiam,  wrote  in  1901 :  ".  .  . 
His  translation  of  the  Bible  laid  the  foundation  of 


Elias  Riggs  303 

our  modern  Armenian.  It  still  remains  to  me  a  mat- 
ter for  wonder  how  a  foreigner  could  penetrate  so 
deeply  into  the  spirit  and  construction  of  our  lan- 
guage as  to  bring  it  under  rules,  and  give  it  almost 
the  final  form  of  structure  we  are  using  to-day." 

Transferred  in  1853  to  Constantinople,  he  was 
for  three  years  in  charge  of  the  Greek  department, 
and  also  an  instructor  in  theology  in  the  Bebak  train- 
ing school ;  but  by  1856  his  labors  had  so  affected  his 
health  that  a  change  was  necessary,  and  that  year  he 
returned  to  the  United  States.  During  the  two  years 
of  this,  his  only  visit  to  this  country,  he  was  an  in- 
structor of  Hebrew  at  Union  Theological  Seminary. 
So  successful  was  he  in  that  capacity  that  he  was 
offered  and  urged  to  accept  what  one  of  his  mission- 
ary associates  termed,  one  of  the  highest  positions  in 
the  gift  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  America — a 
professorship  in  that  institution.  To  a  man  of  his 
ability  this  offer  might  well  have  been  tempting,  but 
the  work  to  which  he  had  devoted  his  life  lay  in 
other  lands.  He  himself  afterward  said :  "I  could 
not  have  remained  in  America  without  doubts  as  to 
the  path  of  duty.  ...  I  could  return  to  my  work  in 
the  mission  without  any  such  doubts." 

Upon  his  return  to  Constantinople  he  entered 
upon  a  work  which  was  to  open  the  Word  of  God 
to  still  another  people,  the  translation  of  the  Bible 
into  Bulgarian,  another  language  he  had  completely 
mastered.     This  translation  was  issued  in  parts  as 


304  Pioneer  Missionaries 

finished,  and  the  complete  edition  was  issued  in 
1871. 

In  1873,  the  American  and  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Societies,  seeing  the  need  of  a  Turkish  trans- 
lation of  the  Bible  which,  intelligible  to  the  mass  of 
the  people,  would  yet  be  acceptable  to  educated 
Turks,  appointed  a  committee  to  make  such  a  trans- 
lation. Its  members  were  Dr.  W.  G.  Schauffler, 
Rev.  George  F.  Herrick,  Rev.  Robert  Weakley  and 
Dr.  Riggs.  Dr.  Schauffler  withdrew  in  a  few 
months,  but  the  others  continued,  and  in  1878  the 
work,  which  has  become  the  standard,  was  issued  in 
both  Arabic  and  Armenian  character. 

During  all  these  years  of  translating  Dr.  Riggs, 
in  addition,  produced  numerous  tracts,  school  books 
and  devotional  books,  and  edited  and  contributed  to 
religious  publications.  He  also  brought  his  master- 
ly command  of  languages  into  play  in  another  and 
peculiarly  fitting  way,  and  produced  hymns  in  Greek, 
Bulgarian  and  Armenian.  Some  of  these  were 
translations;  but  many  were  entirely  original,  giving 
evidence  not  only  of  his  perfect  command  of  those 
languages,  but  expressing  a  nobleness  of  thought 
and  gentleness  of  nature  which  were  characteristic 
of  the  man.  He  produced  during  his  life,  either  as 
translations  or  originals,  no  less  than  four  hundred 
and  seventy-eight  hymns  in  the  Bulgarian  language. 

In  1887  his  beloved  wife,  his  companion  for  so 


Elias  Riggs  305 

many  long  years,  passed  away.  Aged  now,  but 
with  a  mind  clear  and  imdimmed,  he  continued  to 
work,  and  in  these  closing  years  prepared  in  Bul- 
garian a  Bible  Dictionary  and  a  complete  commen- 
tary on  the  New  Testament.  Regular  habits  of 
work  and  exercise  through  life  enabled  him  to  pro- 
long his  career  of  usefulness  long  after  most  men 
would  lay  down  their  work,  but  January  17,  1901, 
he  passed  peacefully  to  his  rest. 

Up  to  his  last  days  he  continued  to  be  an  adviser 
and  an  inspiration  to  his  younger  and  more  active 
associates.  At  his  death  he  was  ninety  years  of  age. 
He  was  the  oldest  living  missionary  of  any  denomi- 
nation, and  was  the  oldest  living  graduate  of  Am- 
herst College. 

Dr.  Riggs'  life  was  indeed  a  long  and  a  useful 
one.  Endowed  with  remarkable  intellectual  pow- 
ers, he  devoted  all  his  abilities  to  the  highest  end. 
He  was,  perhaps,  the  greatest  linguist  in  the  mis- 
sion field.  He  had  a  fair  working  knowledge  of 
twenty  languages  and  was  a  master  of  twelve.  He 
was  perfectly  familiar  not  only  with  those  tongues 
into  which  he  translated,  but  had,  too,  a  perfect 
knowledge  of  those  ancient  languages  from  which 
he  translated  the  Bible.  In  addition,  he  was  fairly 
familiar  with  all  the  principal  modern  languages. 

Though  a  great  scholar,  and,  like  most  scholars, 
of  a  somewhat  retiring  disposition,  he  was  always 


^o6  Pioneer  Missionaries 

keenly  interested  in  what  was  going  on  about  him. 
To  the  end  of  his  Hfe  he  had  a  pleasant  word  and 
cheery  smile  for  all  who  came  near  him. 

The  value  of  Dr.  Riggs'  services  may,  in  a  mea- 
sure, be  comprehended  when  it  is  stated  that,  count- 
ing his  revisions  of  parts  of  the  Old  Testament  in 
modern  Greek,  there  are  four  nations  reading  the 
Word  of  God  as  he  translated  it  for  them.  Dr.  Her- 
rick  says :  "The  homes,  the  schools,  the  churches 
where  Dr.  Riggs'  translations  of  the  Word  of  Life 
are  read,  and  where  the  hymns  he  has  translated  are 
sung,  are  numbered  by  the  ten  thousands,  and  ex- 
tend from  the  Adriatic  to  the  Persian  Gulf,  from 
the  snows  of  the  Caucasus  to  the  burning  sands  of 
Arabia." 

It  was  permitted  him  to  live  to  see  in  part  the  re- 
sult of  his  work,  and  some  feeling  of  satisfaction 
must  have  been  his  in  the  thought  of  those  sixty- 
nine  years  of  missionary  life  so  well  spent. 

A  feeling  of  satisfaction  must  have  been  his,  too, 
in  seeing  his  children  following  in  the  work  nearest 
his  heart.  His  surviving  children  are  Rev.  Edward 
Riggs,  D.D.,  of  Marsovan  Theological  Seminary; 
Rev.  James  F.  Riggs,  D.D.,  of  East  Orange,  N.  J. ; 
Rev.  Charles  Riggs,  formerly  of  Central  Turkey 
College,  now  of  Canfield,  Ohio;  and  Mrs.  Margaret 
R.  Trowbridge,  widow  of  Rev.  T.  C.  Trowbridge, 
D.D.,  late  president  of  the  Central  Turkey  College. 
Five  of  his  grandchildren  are  missionaries  in  Tur- 


Elias  Riggs  307 

key,  and  one  of  them  is  president  of  Euphrates  Col- 
lege, Harpoot. 

In  writing  of  this  venerable  missionary  Rev. 
Henry  O.  D wight,  LL.D.,  who  was  associated  with 
him  for  many  years,  says :  "But  where  younger  men 
failed  he  still  found  strength  to  work  on.  A  clock- 
like regularity  of  life,  controlling  hours  of  work  and 
of  sleep,  quantity  of  food  and  of  recreation  or  ex- 
ercise, kept  his  feet  from  many  pitfalls  into  which 
less  controlled  workers  fall.  This  secret  of  the  pro- 
longation of  his  intellectual  and  physical  powers  was, 
after  all,  but  a  part  of  his  absolute  devotion  to  God — 
the  controlling  force  in  all  his  actions.  In  the  midst 
of  perplexities  worry  was  unknown  to  him.  In  af- 
flictions such  as  cannot  fail  to  come  in  so  long  a 
life,  his  sorrow  could  never  be  comfortless  grief. 
Nothing,  however  terribly  harrowing  to  his  feel- 
ings, could  shake  for  an  instant  his  hold  upon  the 
fact  that  the  director  of  all  his  affairs  was  the  Om- 
niscient God,  and  that  God  was  his  Father." 


REV.   CHRISTIAN   FRIEDRICH 
SCHWARTZ 

Born    October   26,  1726. 
Died  February  13,  1798. 

Among  the  many  gifted  and  heroic  men  who  have 
devoted  their  Hves  to  the  cause  of  missions  in  India, 
none  have  met  with  more  distinguished  success  than 
Christian  Friedrich  Schwartz.  For  years  Schwartz 
prosecuted  his  work  in  obscurity  with  but  few  rays 
of  encouragement  to  cheer  his  way.  In  time,  how- 
ever, his  faith  and  zeal,  his  integrity  and  benevo- 
lence, his  sincerity  and  purity  of  life  won  a  hearing 
for  his  message,  and  he  was  rewarded  at  last  by  a 
larger  place  in  the  hearts  of  the  Hindoos  than  per- 
haps any  other  European  has  ever  obtained. 

Christian  Friedrich  Schwartz  was  born  in  Son- 
nenburg,  Germany,  October  26,  1726.  His  mother, 
who  died  while  he  was  an  infant,  consecrated  him  in 
the  presence  of  her  husband  and  minister  to  the 
service  of  God.  He  was  much  under  the  influence 
of  religious  impressions,  and  was  a  serious  and  well- 
disposed  boy.  When  twenty  years  of  age  he  en- 
tered the  University  of  Halle,  where  he  won  the 
friendship    of    one    of    the    professors,     Herman 


CHKlsriA.N    I- KlKliKII'H    Sc'HWAKTZ 


Christian   Friedrich   Schwartz      309 

Francke,  a  warm  and  generous  supporter  of  the 
missionary  cause. 

While  in  the  University,  Schwartz  was  appointed 
to  learn  the  Tamil  language,  in  order  to  superin- 
tend the  printing  of  a  Bible  in  that  language.  The 
proposed  edition  was  never  published,  but  his  faith- 
ful labors  were  not  thrown  away,  for  his  linguistic 
talents  led  Professor  Francke  to  propose  to  him  that 
he  go  to  India  as  a  missionary.  The  suggestion 
was  favorably  considered  by  the  ardent  and  gifted 
student,  although  in  doing  so  he  was  obliged  to  de- 
cline an  important  position  in  the  ministry  at  home. 

He  was  ordained  at  Copenhagen  and  embarked 
from  London,  January  21,  1750,  and  reached  Tran- 
quebar,  the  seat  of  the  Danish  Mission,  in  July  of 
the  same  year.  In  four  months  he  had  preached 
his  first  sermon  in  the  Tamil,  an  achievement  which 
probably  has  never  been  equaled  by  any  other  mis- 
sionary in  India  or  elsewhere. 

From  the  inception  of  his  work  he  devoted  much 
time  and  effort  to  the  religious  instruction  of  the 
youth.  In  his  educational  work,  both  religious  and 
secular,  he  was  very  successful.  During  his  sec- 
ond year  in  India  four  hundred  persons  whom  he 
had  instructed,  many  of  them  students  in  his  school, 
were  baptized  and  received  into  the  Church.  This 
was  a  remarkable  ingathering,  when  we  consider 
that  he  had  only  been  on  the  field  a  few  months. 

In    1760   he   spent   several   months   in    Ceylon, 


3 1  o  Pioneer  Missionaries 

preaching  with  great  effect.  Both  in  India  and 
Ceylon  he  was  everywhere  received  with  marked  re- 
spect, for  the  Hindoos  could  not  but  admire  the 
beauty  of  his  life.  He  was  not  discouraged,  al- 
though his  preaching  did  not  always  win  souls. 
'The  fruit,"  he  said,  "will  perhaps  appear  when  I 
am  at  rest."  He  had,  however,  the  pleasure  of  see- 
ing some  portion  of  it  ripen,  for  a  number  of 
churches  grew  gradually  up  under  his  care,  one  of 
them  requiring  an  edifice  that  would  accommodate 
two  thousand  souls.  It  is  said  on  high  authority 
that  not  fewer  than  eight  thousand  persons  were  re- 
ceived into  the  churches  which  he  founded  during 
his  ministry  of  fifty  years  in  India. 

For  sixteen  years  he  resided  at  Tranquebar,  a 
member  of  the  Danish  Mission,  but  in  1766  he  trans- 
ferred his  services  to  the  Society  for  Promoting 
Christian  Knowledge,  with  which  he  continued  to 
the  end  of  his  life. 

In  1765,  he  had  established  a  church  and  school  at 
Trichinopoly,  and  in  that  city  he  now  took  up  his 
abode.  To  his  taxing  duties  as  a  missionary  was 
now  added  the  office  of  chaplain  to  the  garrison  of 
British  soldiers,  for  which  he  received  a  salary  of 
£100.  The  first  year  he  devoted  the  entire  amount 
which  he  received  from  the  government  to  the 
building  of  a  mission  house  and  school,  and  after- 
ward he  gave  the  larger  part  of  it  for  the  relief  of 
the  poor  and  various  lines  of  charity.      In  twelve 


Christian   Friedrich  Schwartz      3 1 1 

years  Schwartz  had  baptized  1,238  souls  in  the  city 
of  Trichinopoly,  not  to  speak  of  many  others  who 
received  the  Gospel  message  from  his  lips  in  other 
places. 

He  was  greatly  aided  by  some  of  his  students, 
who  went  forth  as  teachers  and  preachers  among 
their  own  people.  "The  Catechists,"  he  says,  ''re- 
quired to  be  daily  admonished  and  stirred  up,  other- 
wise they  fall  into  indolence."  He  therefore  gath- 
ered each  morning  all  who  were  near  enough  for 
training  in  doctrine  and  methods  of  teaching  and 
preaching,  and  then  would  send  them  out  into  the 
neighboring  villages,  meeting  them  again  in  the 
evening  to  hear  the  report  of  their  labors.  The 
methods  of  Schwartz  in  the  use  of  native  helpers, 
with  but  slight  change,  continues  in  the  mission 
work  in  India  up  to  the  present  time. 

In  1776,  Schwartz  founded  a  new  mission  at  Tan- 
jore,  where  he  spent  the  remaining  twenty  years  of 
his  life  with  the  same  zeal  and  practical  wisdom 
which  characterized  all  his  efforts  in  India.  In  this 
center  of  the  Hindoo  religion,  where  was  located  the 
finest  pagoda  of  India,  he  was  not  without  success. 
In  1780,  after  four  years  of  devoted  service,  his 
heart  was  cheered  by  seeing  two  churches  estab- 
lished in  this  city.  It  was  at  this  time  he  was  re- 
quested to  act  as  an  ambassador  to  treat  with  Hyder 
Ali  of  Mysore,  who  had  refused  to  receive  an  em- 
bassy   from    the    English,    whom    he    distrusted. 


312  Pioneer  Missionaries 

The  haughty  Mohammedan  said :  "Send  me  the 
Christian,"  meaning  Schwartz.  "He  will  not  de- 
ceive me."  Urged  by  the  English  Government,  he 
undertook  with  great  reluctance  this  important,  but 
extremely  delicate,  task.  By  his  efforts  Cuddalore 
was  saved  from  destruction,  and  he  was  given  the 
privilege  of  going  everywhere,  protected  alike  by 
English  and  Hindoo.  The  misery  caused  by  the  war 
was  very  great.  "Numbers  perished  of  w^ant  and 
disease;  corpses  lay  unburied;  the  bonds  of  affec- 
tion were  so  broken  that  parents  offered  their  chil- 
dren for  sale."  Through  all  this  trying  season, 
which  continued  for  three  years,  the  heroic  mis- 
sionary divided  his  time  between  the  work  of 
preaching  to  the  dying  and  in  efforts  of  practical 
philanthropy,  especially  in  providing  food  for  the 
starving,  thus  saving  thousands  of  lives. 

In  1783,  Schwartz's  friend,  the  Rajah  of  Tan- 
jore,  lay  at  the  point  of  death.  Being  childless,  he 
had  adopted  a  young  boy,  Serfogee,  as  his  successor, 
a  practice  recognized  by  the  Hindoo  law.  Calling  to 
his  side  the  devoted  missionary,  the  only  one  to 
whom  he  was  willing  to  entrust  his  son,  he  said : 
"Into  your  hands  I  deliver  the  child."  Schwartz 
accepted  the  charge  with  reluctance,  but  under  his 
wise  instruction  the  young  prince  was  reared  to 
manhood  and  established  in  possession  of  his  in- 
heritance. He  repaid  these  fatherly  cares  with  a 
filial  affection,  and  long  after  the  death  of  Schwartz 


Christian   Friedrich  Schwartz      3  i  3 

testified  both  by  word  and  deed  his  regard  for  the 
memory  of  the  great  missionary. 

After  a  protracted  illness,  on  the  13th  of  Febru- 
ary, 1798,  this  "Apostle  of  the  East,"  as  he  was 
called,  expired  in  the  arms  of  two  of  his  devoted 
native  converts.  Bishop  Heber,  who  "followed  in 
his  train,"  in  writing  of  the  noble  missionary,  says : 
"Of  Schwartz  and  his  fifty  years'  labor  among  the 
heathen,  the  extraordinary  influence  and  popularity 
which  he  acquired,  both  with  Mussulmans,  Hindoos 
and  contending  European  governments,  I  need  give 
you  no  account,  except  that  my  idea  of  him  has  been 
raised  since  I  came  into  the  south  of  India.  He 
was  really  one  of  the  most  active  and  fearless,  as  he 
was  one  of  the  most  successful,  missionaries  who 
have  appeared  since  the  Apostles." 

The  slab  on  his  grave  in  the  chapel  at  Tanjore 
says,  in  part:  "His  natural  vivacity  won  the  affec- 
tion, as  his  unspotted  probity  and  purity  of  life  alike 
commanded  the  reverence  of  the  Christian,  Moham- 
medan and  Hindoo.  The  very  marble  that  re- 
cords his  virtues  was  raised  by  the  liberal  affection 
and  esteem  of  the  Rajah  of  Tanjore,  Maha  Raja 
Serfogee." 

THE  END. 


Date  Due 


m  2JSttP 


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